Red as the Dawn
by Chloe Benson
Summary: The Scarlet Guard has been driven deep into hiding after the disastrous attack on the capital, and Maven, the new King of Norta hunts them mercilessly. Their numbers have dwindled and with the new restrictions on the Reds, the rebellion and war they hope to incite seems impossible... (better summary inside)
1. Prologue

_**Red as the Dawn**_

Character List:  
Mare Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member: _the Little Lightening Girl_  
Shade Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member  
Gisa Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member  
Bree Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member  
Tramy Barrow: Scarlet Guard Member  
Maven Calore: King of Norta: _The Flame of the North_  
Tiberias Calore (Cal):Former Crown Prince of Norta: _The Traitor Prince_  
Farley: Leader of the Scarlet Guard  
Elara Meradus: Queen Regent of Norta: _The Whisper Queen_  
Evangeline Samos: Silver Leader  
Ptolemus Samos: Leader of the Silver Shadow Legion  
Kilorn Warren: Member for the Scarlet Guard

 _The Scarlet Guard has been driven deep into hiding after the disastrous attack on the capital, and Maven, the new King of Norta hunts them mercilessly. Their numbers have dwindled and with the new restrictions on the Reds, the rebellion and war they hope to incite seems impossible..._

 _Struggling with her inner demons, Mare Barrow has sworn herself to finding the other New Bloods like herself, and turing them into an army for the Scarlet Guard They may be the only hope that the fledgling rebellion has. Her inner turmoil continues to mount though as she struggles once more over her feelings for Cal, the Traitor Prince who is in the custody of the Scarlet Guard and struggling with his own demons._

 _As war looms on the horizon, they must either forgive each other to save what they love, or watch as everything they have ever worked for falls apart before them._

 _Only one thing is certain in this new dawn:_

 ** _KNEEL OR BLEED._**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Red as the Dawn**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

 _It was cold, freezing, in fact. I stood shivering in the darkness with the barest of lights at the edge of my vision, but as I glanced at it, it flirted away like a bird taking flight. From my right came the slight drip of water and as I took a tentative step towards it, the heavy bars of a cage slammed down in front of me, sending me backwards with a gasp of surprise. I slammed into something that gave a fleshy thud as I blindly stumbled. I screamed as I felt the warm flow of sticky blood on my hands and my back from the object I'd run into in my blind panic. I spun around to face it and tripped on the slick floor, causing me to fall backward. From the darkness in front of me, Lucas stumbled forward, clutching his chest where blood was pumping in buckets all over the front of his guard uniform. He stared down at me where I had fallen onto my butt on the slimy stone, and choked, "why, why'd you do it Mare? Did you make Cal kill his father too?"_

 _I scrambled backwards into the bars behind me, trying to cover my face, as if pretending Lucas wasn't there would make him vanish. His blood stained hands grab mine though and yank them away from my face and I scream as he digs his nails into my skin drawing my own blood._

 _"_ _You did this! Do you not see? This is all your fault!" He cries as he shakes me, snapping my neck back and forth as he does so. I yank my wrists away from him and when I do, I see the red and silver blood that stains them. Screaming, I try to wipe it off on my pants but it sinks into my skin and no matter how hard I scrape them against my pants and the stone, it doesn't vanish._

 _"_ _Don't you see Mare," I flip around to see Maven behind me, a wicked grin splitting his face, "you're no better than me."_

 _He spreads his arms out from his body as if he's inviting me to come into his embrace, with a soft smile just like I remember, he whispers, "come on Mare, you know you can't win this war. Cal's done, he's going to die and you know it will be your fault. Don't sit on that bomb Mare, at least be a few steps away to avoid the collateral damage."_

 _Before I can do anything, my arm snaps out and latches onto his and he pulls me to him. I scream as I try to fight him, only to realize my arms are wrapped around him. I try to kick out but my body feels like a puppet with its strings begin pulled to tight. I glance over Maven's shoulder to see Elara standing in the shadows. With a flourish and a laugh she pulls her skirts away to reveal Cal lying face down, his blood pooling around him, with his clothes torn and falling off to show even more injuries. I scream his name and try to fight Maven only for him to hold me tighter and whisper in my ear, "you're just as much of a monster as me Mare, just remember that you agreed to kill them all too."_

 _He smiles as he peels me off of him, and holds my hands up to my face. The blood is gone finally and I cry in relief until he digs his nails in and causes them to bleed again. I cry out in agony and watch in horror as silver blood leaks from my body. Maven tilts his head to the side, like a morbidly fascinated child and whispers, "look at that, you're a silver monster too."_

I wake screaming, throwing my hands out in front of me to protect myself from the shadows in my mind, and the darkness was lit up for a moment by the tiny arches of lighting that danced across my finger tips. I stuff my hands between my legs when I see that, and take in heaving gasps of air to calm down. Tears continue to leak from my eyes though and my breath doesn't calm as quickly as I wish it would.

"Just a nightmare, it was just a dream." I whisper over and over again until my breathing is a little slower. I dig my nails into my skin and watch as the skin turns red, I let out a soft cry of joy and then fall back onto the stiff mattress. To my left I hear someone shift and Shade whispers into the darkness, "Mare, everything okay?"

I glance in his direction, before I can reply though, he flicks on the light between us and I hold my hand up to shield my eyes from the brightness. I squint around the darkness to see Shade propped up on his elbow, his dark hair slick across his forehead with sweat, and his eyes watching me with brotherly concern. I offer him a nod and try to roll over before he can see my messy features and wet cheeks. I'm not fast enough though, because he chokes out, "Mare—hey don't turn away, what's going on?"

"Nothing Shade, it was just a dream, go back to sleep." I didn't mean for it to be so biting, but I need him to stop probing. I don't know if I could deal with Shade knowing about the darkness that bites at my heels like a dog chasing me relentlessly. His sheets rustle as he slips out of bed and moves towards me across the metal floor. My mattress sinks down as he takes up his now habitual position next to me and starts running his hand in slow circles on my back. He sighs heavily and whispers like he used to when we were little kids, "what's the matter Mare?"

My throat closes around the words I want to whisper; that all this was my fault, that Cal's miserable because of me, because I was a fool that played along in Maven's games, that I was the reason this whole mess had even started. I can not bring myself to say that though, just knowing is enough for now. Shade doesn't buy my silence at all and instead of pressing me he just sighs again and concedes the battle, "you can't keep that all bottled up in you, it's going to explode out when you really don't want it to."

His words make my eyes sting with tears again, and I'm forced to turn to the ever present hum of the machinery around us to dull the emotions inside me. All around us, electricity is running through the walls, hiding us from now, until we can prepare another base for us to travel to. Shade pops into existence in front of me, making me start in surprise and with a crooked smile he teases, "come on Mare Bear, what is it?"

"Mare Bear? God, Shade will you ever give me a grownup nickname?" I reply with the same smile, although deep inside he punctured me again. That nickname belonged to a little Red girl who ran through the Stilts at full sprint to catch up to her older brothers who were already so grown up. It belonged to a little girl who would curl up in her older brother's arms when she was scared, whispering for him to tell her a story so that she didn't have to listen to the silence in that rickety house. It didn't belong to me anymore, Mare Barrow had truly died in that throne room when Mareena came to be. I had been baptized and christened in the blood of those I had trusted and those I considered my enemy. Maven would have been proud to see how much the work he had done on me had paid off.

My silence draws Shade in further until he's practically resting his head on my pillow, and with that brotherly concern again he whispers, "do you want to hear a story Mare?"

I glance up at him sadly, and with a tight throat that is barrel choking back tears, I manage, "no, no more stories Shade. I don't want to hear them anymore. There's no such thing as princesses and knights anymore, there's only the shadows and the demons that control them now."

9/9

The guards standing outside of the rickety mine shaft elevator were apparently not expecting me, because they both take one step to the side and block my path once I start approaching. Their uniforms hang awkwardly around their shoulders and I wince at the laughter that must have slipped past Cal's defenses as they dragged him down to his "special" cell. I could practically hear him whispering in my ear, _see that Mare? Little boys playing dress up as soldiers._

I straighten in annoyance when they don't step out of the way and hiss, "excuse me, but I'm hear to see the prison-"

"Sorry ma'am, orders from Farley, no one is to see the prisoner." One of them mumbles as he shifts his rifled from one shoulder to the other. I sigh, exasperated, and roll my eyes at all the rules I had to play under now. I had to bow to a Queen who I hated, and now I have to bow to a woman who won't even let me go outside.

"Well, I'd hate for her to come back and see two chard husks where her guards once were. That would be a pity," I growl as my hand twitches at my side. Both of them flinch and take tiny steps away from me. A tight grin pulls at my lips, apparently my reputation preceded me. Both of the guards share concerned looks after my reaction to their obvious fear, and it's only then that I realize that they were twins. When they finally look back to me, one of them whispers tightly, "you promise not to tell okay? We're not supposed to let anyone down there." His eyes light up with trepidation as they both scan the crowd behind me for any sign of Farley or her entourage of "council members". Glancing over my shoulder for any sign of Shade, who had become my over grown shadow in the past few weeks, or my other brothers, I nod quickly and take another step towards the gated entrance to the elevator shaft. Both of the boys, because there was no way either of them was over eighteen in age, step aside and make way for me. One of them calls the car with the push of a button and the other whispers softly in my ear, "just be careful down there, they say he killed his own father just to wear the crown for a night."

My chest constricted in agony and I choked, "that's not true, I know Cal," But I was starting to wonder if I had ever known the Heir of Norta at all. If I had known that golden Silver Prince, who was brought to his knees by a woman who wanted to see her son on the throne.

The mine lift arrived before the guard could respond to my questionable answer, instead, he shrugs and pulls the gate back to allow me entrance into the metal coffin that was the lift. I stepped into the cold mesh box and glanced over my shoulder as they closed the gates behind and me pushed the button to send me down. The lift's cables creaked and then I slowly began to descend into the bowls of the Scarlet Guard's headquarters.

The trip down was silent except for the scream of underused machinery and weak cables that whined as they slowly gave way for my decent. I shivered at the cold and wrapped my arms around my body hoping to trap some of the heat as the cold became almost unbearable. My breaths came out in puffs of smoke in front of my face, but soon, even those were lost to the darkness that surrounded me. The cart stopped suddenly and I grabbed at the grating, trying to right myself. It was deathly silent in that darkness for a few moments, and in that span of time I felt the walls starting to close in on me. My hand grew slick with sweat and my chest began rising and falling rapidly as I felt the tons of rock that were rising above my head and could come crashing down at any second. Before my panic could turn into a full scale anxiety attack though, the cart started its slow, grinding decent once more.

I remained pressed up against the side of the metal cage that would surely become my coffin given enough time, trying to figure out how the lift had started moving again. It took me a few moments to hear the hum and crackle of sparks near me. Glancing down in surprise, I saw the tiny tendrils of light that were dancing along the mesh fencing that was being gripped to death by my hands. In my panic I must have jolted the cart back into motion, and although that gave me comfort, it didn't last long, because the lift slammed to a stop once more. This time though, light bled from the few torches that were sparsely set up to lead the way to the cells.

Releasing my hold on the mesh, I reached out and yanked the doors apart, and stepped out into the stone tunnel. From down the way, I could hear the soft swell of voices, and groaning inwardly, I realized I would probably have to convince a set of more seasoned guards to actually let me into the cell. Before I could think of a plan though, two shadows began to advance up the passage way, forcing me to dodge into the shadows or risk getting caught in an obviously out of bounds area. The two shadows eventually attached themselves to Farley and Shade. That explained why Shade had been missing from my side this morning, he must have been down here, but he wasn't on guard rotation anymore; at least, that's what he had told me. Their voices carried softly until they had paused in front of me and reached the doors of the lift. Farley huffed softly and then joked, "silver in the blood, silver in the tongue as they say."

"For being so quiet, he sure has a way of biting when he wants to." Shade's reply was filled with equal mirth. I couldn't see his face but he was probably smiling at his joke. Farley glanced to him and scoffed, "if he doesn't start talking soon, we'll have to turn to more… desperate measures."

Shade shrugged but didn't respond, his joy dampening quickly. "Mare won't like that."

"I'm afraid your little sister does not get a say in our political dealings." Farley huffed in annoyance as she pulled the grating apart again. They grind against each other and tone out Shade's reply. Farley's laughter echoes down the corridor, and with a gruff voice she replies, "I understand that, trust me. I saw first hand their little relationship. Maven was… not exactly wrong, but I don't see the two of them kissing and making up any time soon."

"That is just fine with me, I don't trust him." Shade growls as he follows Farley into the lift. She pulls the doors closed once more and then pushing the button to send the cart back up she whispers something to Shade, but it is once more drowned out by the heavy cables pulling the lift up.

I expel the breath I hadn't even noticed I was holding, my shoulders relaxing. They must have just been with Cal, and from the sound of it, he had given them both a verbal licking that was worth something.

My body trembles with worry as I stalk down the hallway to the cell that Cal had been locked in weeks ago. My chest rises and falls shallowly as I set my hand on the cool metal handle. For God's sake, it was soft metal too, he could burn through this in minutes and be up the shaft only minutes after that. Closing my eyes tightly against the invisible choking grip that had taken hold around my chest, I turn the handle and swing the heavy door inward.

The silent hush that follows the door opening is the only thing that gives me the courage to enter. I reach out and flick the light switch to the right of me. Bright, florescent lights flicked into existence making me squint. From the other side of the cell I hear a growl and a hoarse voice groans, "do you people actually think that I will ever, ever tell you anything-"

"Cal," I whisper his name like a hushed syllable and then take a tentative step into the room and towards him. He glances up in surprise and his eyes squint around the light while he takes me in. His eyes have that fiery spark again, and that thought loosens the knife in my throat slightly. We both glance at each other for a few moments, until our eyes adjust to the sudden change in lighting. He stands and his eyes narrow as he growls, "are you here to question me too?"

"No, I-"

He takes a few purposeful steps forward only to yanked back by the chains around his wrists. He lets out a yelp of pain and then steps backwards, trying to massage the skin below the binders. I feel the cold stone of the wall pressing against my shoulders, and I realize I must have take a few steps back from him in blind panic. As he stands there, tethered in his corner like a wild animal, I take deep breaths to calm my racing heart. Eventually he looks up at me and that fire dies as he sinks down onto the worn metal plate that serves for a cot. Seeing how broken he is in that moment, drives me a few steps closer to him. When I'm standing over him, my lips quiver with the need to say something, an apology, anything, but all I can see now are the dark circles under his eyes and the purple bruise that dominates his left cheek bone. Near his hair line is a dried trail of blood that looked like it belonged to a nasty cut. I crouch down and gently move his hair away from the wound to see it more clearly. He pulls away from my touch in reproach and murmurs, "it's nothing-"

My hand hovers above his skin, which makes him pause, and it takes being this much closer to him to see all the little nicks and cuts across his face. Hot tears of anger run down my cheeks and rising again I cross the room to the small bowl of water that was supposed to be used for cleaning purposes, and pick up the towel hanging off to the side. He wouldn't do this himself, his pride would never allow it, but I can't stand to see Cal brought so lowly.

By the time I return to his side, my eyes are dry and I have wiped all traces of my emotion from my face. He watches me warily as I dip the towel into the bowl of water and raise it to the deep gash above his right brow. He tries to pull away but I grab the back of his neck in a tight grip and dab at the wound delicately. His eyes widen in surprise as I gently wipe the silver stains off his face. He goes to grab my wrist and stop me, but the binders clang and stop him. I glance down at them and then see how his skin is raw underneath them, and little trickles of silver life run along his arms from his wrists. It breaks my heart, because he shouldn't even be in these still, he could just burn his way out of them.

My throat closes around the tears I'm trying to keep from falling, as I gently turn his head to the side so that I can reach the deep wound near his hair line. I wipe at it and watch as it starts to come into focus now that the blood that matted his hair isn't sticking to it. He sighs softly and then questions me, "Why- what are you doing Mare."

His question was more of a sigh than a real question, and it reminds me just how broken he really is. I curse the knot in my throat because when I answer it sounds like I'm crying, "I'm taking care of you," he watches me curiously as I continue, "I'll make them stop this, I promise."

He frowns at my reply and is silent for a few heart beats as I lower the cloth to the bowl and start to scrub the blood off so that I can actually tell what is old and what is new blood while I'm doing this. He lowers his voice to a gentle whisper as he inquires, "Why would you stop them? Don't you want the same answers?"

To avoid his eyes I glance at his jaw where a dark purple bruise it taking form, that one was definitely new, I wouldn't be surprised if Shade had given that to him a few minutes ago. If this wasn't desperate matters, then I wasn't so sure I wanted to see "desperate".

"Yes, but I…I owe you this much. You kept Evangeline from hurting me, and… killing me, so I'm going to keep them from hurting you." My voice is barely a whisper, and he doesn't respond right away. I wouldn't expect him to though, I had just reminded him of his betrothed, the girl he would probably be marrying right now if it hadn't been for me. If I hadn't waltzed into his life the night before Queenstrial, he would be happily running around on the war front with the Shadow Legion dealing whatever damage he saw fit to satisfy the demon that haunted those flaming eyes of his. I wouldn't be here though if I hadn't met him, I wouldn't know what I was, how _important_ I was. Kilorn would most likely be dead on the front lines and I would be following him soon. My shoulders shake as I try to contain the sparks that want to be released so desperately that it almost burns inside me. Cal watches me with what looks like concern for a moment, but doesn't say anything. There's nothing he could say, and he knows it.

When I'm calm enough to speak without possibly shocking Cal, I whisper, "I owe you so much more than this though."

He scoffs softly and then murmurs, "you saved my life in the area, we were even long ago."

I let out a broken laugh and then manage through the knot in my throat, "Even? We're no where close to even. You saved me, my brothers… Farley, you could have killed her down in those cells, but you didn't, and I-I repaid you by trying to use you," my confession actually brings tears to my eyes as the pressure it had built up in the back of my mind is suddenly released in one passion filled statement. My voice drops an octave, and loses it's fire as I choke, "I'd say I'm sorry, but I doubt that will fix all of this."

He doesn't respond, but his hand slowly slips over mine which is resting over the water bowl while I glare daggers at it. He squeezes softly and the action brings more tears to my eyes, once more he's putting aside bitter misery to comfort me. I didn't deserve such affection from him, so I pull away and tuck my chin into my shoulder so he can't see my tears. He takes it as discomfort on my part and he pulls away as well, the wall sliding up between us again. I hate that wall, I hate what I have done to him, but I would do it again if it meant I could save what little remains of the Scarlet Guard.

After a few heart beats, I raise the towel and wipe at his brow again, my teeth ripping at my lip to keep it from trembling again. I wasn't a little girl anymore, I was a soldier like Cal, and if he wasn't crying about his situation, which was far worse than my own, then I had no right to cry. As I wipe at the dry blood, he turns those amber eyes back to scan my face and with the gentle whisper that he used in the moonlight room which felt eons away, he murmurs, "You have dark circles under your eyes."

My gaze snaps from his wound to meet his eyes which are watching me intently for my response. Immediately, I straighten my back, and continue wiping the wound, although I wasn't being as gentle as before. "Well you have a black eye and possibly a fractured nose," I grumble as I pull away to get a better look at my handiwork. He raise his brow in speculation and mutters something along the lines of _it could be worse._ He shrugs at his own speculation and my comment and then meets my eyes again. They soften again and and with a slight frown he inquires, "are you not sleeping?"

"Honestly Cal," in my frustration, I leap to my feet and thrown the towel on to the dirty stone floor before continuing, "You're bleeding everywhere, getting beaten, and you're worrying about whether or not I'm sleeping?" My voice breaks at the end as tears start to come again. It's not fair! He's not allowed to do that to me, to treat me like I'm above him. _I_ should be the one asking if _he_ is okay, not the other way around.

He watches my retreat with a skeptical brow and then replies in kind, "I figured it was just polite-"

I ram my fingers into my knotted hair and cry, "No, you're just bing the prince I-" I freeze before I can say the next few words, because in no certain way can I tell him that I had possibly fallen head over heels for my enemy. My hands slide out of my hair and around my arms where they hug my elbows tightly to my body while I turn away from him. He watches my back, and I can feel his intense stare, burning me alive. I wish he would though, I wish he would take out all his misery and frustration on me, burn me like the little devil I am. He doesn't speak though, he never says a word.

When the silence gets to be too heavy I whisper softly, "why don't you just break the chains and escape, Maven could do it."

He sighs heavily and then whispers, "they took my bracelets."

'Then melt the binders, I know you can do it!" I accuse as I flip around on him again. He watches me with tired eyes before leaning back against the wall and whispering, "then what? Where would I go, where can I hide that would be safe?"

"Find Julian, I don't know, just… just don't…" my throat closes up again and I barley finish, "just don't stay here. They'll kill you."

He smiles tightly and the fire lights up in his eyes as he replies, "I like my odds here better than the one's I would have if I leave."

My stomach churns and my nails dig into my arms as I look away from him again, suddenly aware of how much I'm embarrassing myself right now. He will see my weakness and use it, that's what we have become to each other, pawns for the other to use. But my turn is over, and I will never get another one, because Cal's too smart to let me have one.

The silence settles over us again, and I realize that our conversation is over, there's nothing else to say. Swallowing I back away from him and turn towards the door. I yank open the heavy door and turn the lights off. The torch lights spark outside sending long, dark shadows against the walls. I lean against the door handle for a second, trying to compose myself. When I have gathered what little composer I have left, I square my shoulders and put on my mask. As I go to leave though, Cal whispers gently to me from his shadowy corner, "I ruined you too."

Glancing at him over my shoulder, I see him curled up in the corner, one of his knees bent with his arm resting on it and his face shroud in shadows as he leans his head against the cold stone wall. I can still feel that burning gaze though, watching me with the eternal pain that had leached it's way into his soul in those cells below the Bowl of Bones. His gaze flints away from mine, and I take that moment to vanish and close the door.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

It was obnoxiously loud in the mess that afternoon, but it drowned out the slow thud of my heart that was aching in my chest. I'd unintentionally left a part of it down in the cell with Cal, and now my mind was missing it desperately and demanding that I retrieve it immediately. I wasn't planning on going down to that cell anytime soon though, I wasn't ready to have another conversation with him that ended up being an embarrassment.

The chair next to me scrapped against the ground and Shade dropped heavily into it, making it creak under his unexpected weight. I barely glanced at him while I took another small spoonful of the broth that was being called lunch. He leaned his arms against the table and watched me expectantly for a few seconds, his words turning circles in his head while he looked for the right way to say them. Eventually he picked up his spoon, opting for the not-so-subtle small talk approach, and while he waited for his spoonful to cool down he inquired, "did you enjoy your conversation with your little silver friend?"

I gripped my spoon tighter and cursed the twins that were on guard duty. It shouldn't have been a surprise though that they let it slip, at the same time, I didn't need Shade, or Farley for that matter, knowing I was sneaking around. Shade glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and tried to play it off like he was looking down the table for someone. I slammed my spoon down in annoyance, making the young girl across from us jump in surprise and then scoot a little farther down the table. Shade set his spoon down softly, his eyes hardening as they met mine, and he whispered so no one could hear us, "don't blow a circuit now."

"Did you hurt him Shade? I swear if that was you-"

"Yes, I did," he interrupts, his voice filled with icy fire that threatened to freeze me in an instant. I sputtered for a second then, surprised that he would readily admit to something that I was obviously not okay with. He sighed and then running a tired hand thought his hair he whispers, "I'm doing my job Mare."

"And beating a prisoner is in the description or something?" I growl, my fingers twitching, my body itching for a fight. Shade rises from his seat then, towering over me, he warns, "watch what you shout around here."

"Why? You don't want people to know that you have a silver prince locked up in the cells below-" He clamps a hand over my mouth and yanks me out of my seat and through the benches where people have started to stare at us curiously. Bree arrives just as we are leaving and tries to grab Shade when we pass but my older brother teleports us into a different hallway; his shoulders shake as he pushes me down the hallway ahead of him. I flip around on him and shout, "why would you do it?"

"Like his kind haven't killed hundreds maybe thousands ours for information. He should be grateful he's even still alive!" Shade threatens as he advances on me. I place my hands on his chest and push him, hard, into the wall next us. He grabs my wrists and growls, "he's dangerous Mare, why can't you see that?"

"What if it was you! What if you killed dad and had to live that that?" I scream as I hit his chest with my fists, even though I know I'm not doing any damage. He catches my wrists eventually and whispers, "Mare, you have to understand that you're not in that place anymore, he's not a prince anymore."

Tears streak down my cheeks and he gently reaches up and wipes them away with his thumb, continuing softly, "he can't be trusted."

I turn away from him, I know that already. I know that Cal is more dangerous now that ever before, but I still can't forget that desolate look in his eyes as he kneeled in the blood of his father and gazed at his blood stained hands. Shade pulls me into a tight embrace and whispers into my hair, "it's going to be okay Mare, we're going to be okay."

I don't have the heart to tell him otherwise.

(/)

I had little time to spend with my family now that I was a full fledged member of the Scarlet Guard, and after Farley heard about my little visit with Cal, she changed the guards in front of the shaft to more "experienced" men. These new guards knew my face and were obliged to turn me away with force in necessary. I would watch Shade disappear down that shaft twice a day, once at the crack of dawn and once after dinner, and every time the lift dropped, he would glance over his shoulder at me, and it was then that I saw how terrified he was. I wasn't so sure if he was terrified of what he was doing, or who he was doing it to, but I was certain that I had rung some bell in his head with my comment about killing our father.

We had decided not to talk about that conversation in the hallway, and he didn't press me for what I meant with my comment, I think most of the country was well aware of what happened, they just didn't know the truth like I did. I almost wish I didn't know the truth though, I almost wish I was just another Red walking down the street and then turning to a screen and seeing a young man kill his father while a demonic little Red girl charmed him into doing it. _Almost wish_ , I was certain that I would hate going back to the blissful ignorance.

Farley had me running around daily, and the meaningless tasks she gave me took my mind off of everything for the most part. She also had me doing things as far away from Cal as possible, normally carrying blankets and what not to some of the surviving Red families. According to her, I had become a symbol of bravery and triumph. I had survived the impossible as a Red, and to them, I was practically a god. They would gawk at me when I came, and ask me how I had survived, and I would just glance at them and whisper that I had no idea. The little girls ran up to me and hugging my legs chanted that they wanted to be just like me, brave and strong. I would pat their heads and try to turn them away, extremely uncomfortable with their devotion. They all thought I was some hero, when all I did was use people to my benefit, and steal, and lie, and hope for the best. It tore me apart inside, the desire to be the image they all saw, while still trying to be the soldier I had become. I was fighting a war inside myself that I could barley contain anymore.

When Gisa decided to join me on my rounds recently I almost turned her away. It turned out to be nice though, having her walking with me. It was also nice to have someone who didn't think of me as a divine being.

As we make our way down the long hall to the camps, her golden red locks bouncing around her head as she hums softly to herself, I watch her for any sign that she might be uncomfortable with all this. Gisa had never been the type to get involved with anything close to rebellion, and I was worried that it would take it's toll on her. She appears to be happy though, bouncing around from place to place, trying to find jobs in the Scarlet Guard that need her gift with a needle. Her hand had healed weakly, just as we all thought it would, but she could still sew as beautifully as before. It took her much longer to finish any of her stitches, but she finished them with a determination that I envied.

Her eyes snap to mine unexpectedly, probably sensing my eyes on her as we approach the end of long hallway that led to the hanger full of refugees. She puts a gentle hand on my arm and with her most patient voice she whispers, "Shade told mama that you've been having nightmares, is everything alright Mare?"

I blow a heavy sigh out of my nose and then glancing down the hall I murmur, "I don't want to talk about this right now."

Gisa's unimpressed stare makes my stomach turn and my blood boil. None of them have any right to infiltrate my thoughts right now, I just want to left alone to deal with this myself. She pulls her hand away from my arm and whispers, "I figured, well, that you would want to talk," her eyes harden when she sets them back on me as she continues, "but you can't run from what you did. You can't keep hiding your feelings Mare, one day they'll strangle you."

I almost choke at her choice of words, but I manage to turn away and swallow the terror rising inside of me. She doesn't know, no one but Cal had heard the words I cursed at Maven as he tried to coax me out of the cell. Gisa seems to see my struggle though, and she reaches out to set her hand on my back in response, her voice soothing as she whispers, "we _will_ be okay someday. You need to have faith."

I glance at her out of the corner of my eye, desperately wanting to tell her that I had never had faith to begin with, but I stop short when I see the tiny smile she gives me. It seems to light up the very space we are in, and my fears all wash away in that flood of light. There was no more animosity between us anymore, the awkward jealousy I had held for her talents had burned away when I feared I would never see her again. I reach out slowly and pushing some of her hair out of her face I whisper, "what would I do without you, my little star?"

Her smile widens as she slips her fingers through mine and squeezes my hand tightly. "You would never get along." She teases as she begins to pull me down the hallway and towards another torturous session with the remainder of the Scarlet Guard.

The hanger that the families stay in was buried deep underground, and it took machinery that had been put out of its misery long ago to lift the platform to the doors that were hundreds of yards over head. Gisa's mouth had fallen open in awe when she saw the carnivorous size of the place for the first time. Today is no different, her eyes take in everything as usual, but before she can ask me about the height again, she is immediately greeted by a swarm of tiny tots who are all desperate to see the youngest Barrow sister. They climb all over her, shrieking and squealing in excitement. I take a few steps away, desperate for them not to notice me. I had never been one for kids, and now that I could zap people into a pieces of chard meat, I defiantly didn't want them near me. One of the late comers, a young girl from the south judging by her darker skin, comes waddling up, her pants falling down from around her hips, since the piece of draw string that had been fashioned as a belt had begun falling off. She sees Gisa's bombardment and her eyes slowly scan and seek me standing a few steps away. They were milky white pools that stared through me without seeing as she took a tentative step towards me, her hand held out, demanding me to take it. I shook my head, and then regretted the action immediately, because her hands waved in front of her in distress when she realized that no one was around her. Her blind eyes sought me again and then with a voice that was slightly confused she whispered, "are we playing a game? I like games. Everyone says that you are good at games Mare, I want to play too."

I froze in terror, and she paused from her search for me, her head tilting to the side in curiosity. She closed her eyes slowly, only to open them at the speed of a snail in the mud, the white orbs are even more unsettling when she does that. "Why are you so empty, are you missing something," her eyes lit up in excitement as she cheers, "oh, I get it, this is the game! You want me to help you find something you lost! I'm very good at finding things."

Her smile is heart warming, but as she advances on me and waves her hands in front of her, trying to touch me, I backpedal in surprise. Eventually my back brushes the wall and her hands land on my thighs, their callus skin rough against the fabric of my pants. She eventually looks up at me with wide eyes as she whispers softly, "I didn't mean to startle you, please don't be afraid! My momma says that I'm like you!"

My heart hammers in response to her comment and my stomach lurches as I reach a shaky hand into the pocket of my jacket to retrieve the book of names. I swallow past the lump forming in my throat and whisper, "what's your name?"

"Maggie, Maggie Tolern," she says proudly as she sticks her chest out to emphasize this, "my daddy fought in the capital siege."

I almost drop the book in horror, but Maggie doesn't look like she was missing her father, she probably would have been crying about it, right? She continues to watch me with those glowing orbs, while I leaf through the book, looking for her name, praying it's not in there. I scan the pages faster than was healthy for my racing heart, but my eyes catch her name none-the-less, and my stomach drops so fast that I think I might be sick. Slowly I close the book and glance down at Maggie. She was probably five years old, maybe six. There was no way she was old enough to understand what was going on around her, what she was, or even what that meant for her fate.

She raises a soft blonde brow at me and inquires, "where is the Silver prince? I want to ask him-"

"Maggie!" Someone calls in the distance and Maggie glances over her shoulder towards the voice, her eyelids fluttering as she tries to figure out the persons location. Eventually she steps away from me, a tiny smile pulling at her lips as she whispers, "it was nice meeting you."

Then she turns and runs off, her hands running around her and in front of her as she goes. I remain plastered to the wall after her departure, my mind running a thousand miles an hour. This little girl was without a doubt a development I was not prepared for. My vision tunnels as Maven's words ring though my head like crows pecking at my brain, _I'll make the others scream for you, Mare, every last one. I'm going to find them, and they will die with your in their thoughts, knowing this is the fate you have brought them._

I jump when Gisa sets her hand on my arm. Her eyes widen in surprise as she whispers, "Mare? Is everything alright? You've been standing here staring for a while."

Her concern is like a balm, but I can't bear to succumb to it. Nodding my head quickly, I take some of the ratty blankets from her and start in the direction that Maggie went, determined to not let my state be seen. It took me until I left to realize Maggie was going to ask me about Cal.

(/)

Today was not a good day, well, only this morning had not been good, but that normally spelled that the rest of the day was going to go to crap, I thought as I ran a tired hand through my hair. It had gotten longer over the past couple weeks and I was glad, I always thought that I looked like crap with all my hair gone. The lift froze again while it was dropping, and growling, I slammed my fist into the grating. The lift jolted to life again and continued its descent.

I sighed at my slow progress, and then turned the packet of papers over in my hand, glancing at the glossy cover. It didn't take long for the Tekies to get ahold of every file that ever existed, but for the some reason, it had taken them weeks to get this one. They'd spewed excuses left and right whenever we had sent long messages demanding the information be sent now. The first had been that the file was classified and locked up with seventeen hundred different codes, the second had been that the file was literally gone, the third had been that the file was in the process of being rewritten, on, and on, and on. Holding it in my hand now, I realized how much information there had been. It must have weighed at least three pounds, and was chalk full of pictures, birth files, everything. We'd all glanced over it after it had arrived in our system, and after it was confirmed by the Tekies that this was the original file, it was given to me and I was sent down into this hell hole again.

The lift slammed to a stop and I barely stumbled as I reached out with one hand and yanked open the grating. The two guards that were standing on either side of the lift offered me weak smiles as I passed them. There had been more guards stationed to keep Mare out of here, more on my order than Farley's. We couldn't have my little sister listen to this Silver whisper in her ear anymore. I offered the two of them a quick nod as I started down the hall, opening the file to skim it one more time, only to pause and glance over my shoulder to question, "anything new with him?"

"He was quiet last night, but this morning there was some banging and shouting." One of them murmurs while she glances at her companion who nods and agrees. I huff and then glance back down at the file, he _had_ been a little too quiet, maybe we had finally broken him. That would be something though, a bunch of Reds breaking a Crown Prince.

"He's been quiet for an hour though, no movement, no noise, and when Chet banged on the door earlier, he apparently didn't respond." The woman whispered again as she cast a wary glance over my shoulder at the huge metal door that was a few paces down. I frowned and replied, "did you go in and wake him at dawn like we agreed to?"

"Colin went in, and he came out with a bloody nose and a dislocated shoulder," Chet whispered, his eyes also scanning the door warily. I blew a heavy sigh out of my nose and growled, "of course he did, now, did anyone else go in and actually check on him?"

They share a glance and then shake their heads. I sigh again and grab the bridge of my nose between my forefinger and thumb. I already had a headache and I wasn't even talking to him yet. He had yet to really cause a disturbance, apparently I was wrong about us breaking him.

Blowing one more heavy sigh out through my teeth, I raise my head and start down the hallway. Now that I had a little more information _on_ him, it shouldn't be too hard to get information _out_ of him.

The door swung in heavily like it always did, and creaked on it's hinges, making me wince slightly. As I enter the room and turn to activate the lights and close the door I say, "I heard about your little stunt this morning with the guard, Colin's a good looking kid, shame you had to go and break his nose."

There's no response and that makes me turn around suddenly, only to blanch slightly. Sitting at the table waiting for me is the Prince. His eyes like fire and his posture ramrod straight. His gaze is slightly unsettling, but nothing I haven't stood under before. He may have intimated Mare, but he doesn't so much as tickle me. I've seen this Silver bleed at my own hand, I suppose that makes me feel superior, but it appears that I may be farther out of my league than I thought.

Crossing the room to the dented metal table, I yank the chair out and murmur, "seems to me that you're excited to see me, how nice of you to set up the table already."

He doesn't respond, his eyes never leave my face, and for a moment it almost looks like he's trying to burn a hole in the spot between my eyes. I smile as I toss the file on the table so that he can see it and then I collapse in the chair, putting my feet up on the corner of the table, showing him my side. It should infuriate him that I was acting so confident in his presence, at least, it used to. He barely glances at the papers and growls, "ah yes, I've been waiting for you to get your hands on this," when he looks up, he relaxes slightly, his body almost getting comfortable. I narrow my eyes, something was up, or he was up to something. The thought sent a shiver down my spine and I whisper tentatively, "yeah, we had to wait an eon before they could find it, care to share why your file was deleted?"

He offers me a tight smile and whispers at the same octave as me, "people don't like to talk about traitorous princes."

I snort and pull the file towards me, unafraid of putting any appendages close to him. His hands were shackled behind his back, he had learned quickly that that was only position he could sit in with comfort when he was pulled at the end of the chain. Flipping though some of the pages I murmur, "pretty impressive, I'll give you that. First time one the front lines was when you were five. Did daddy want you to see how much blood you would be spilling when you got older?"

He sneers at me and almost growls a warning to me, but it gets lost in his hoarse throat. I tilt my head to the side this time when I look at him, that was a cord to strike then. His father was a good thing to talk about now. Mare's words ring though my ears for a second and shrugging slightly I whisper, "what made you do it? Were you tired of sitting behind him, bored? Maybe you thought you were finally ready?"

When I glance up from perusing he file again, his eyes are on a spot behind my head, almost like he's trying to burn a hole in the wall, and its then that I see the steam rising behind his back. I leap backwards, going for the door, but I pause when I hear his laughter. Flipping around I see him smile at me, like we're sharing a good joke. He raises a taunting brow and teases, "what's the matter Shade? Afraid of a a little fire?"

I smile at his attempt to jar me, and reply, "I see what you did there, testing my boundaries now huh? Trying to put the situation into your own hands?"

He tilts his head to the side and mocking my innocent tone answers, "I prefer the words testing the waters, besides," he smiles again, this time its more threatening, "I could be out of these shackles faster than you could make it to the door, then I would just burn them into your skin and show you a real integration."

I swallow and manage to murmur, "I'm sure you're very good at it, Farley told us all about what you did."

He shrugs nonchalantly and retorts, "I do better when I don't have people watching and breathing down my neck. Isolation allows for more creative freedom." His smile returns and he settles back into the chair, suddenly comfortable with my worry. I shift closer to the table, determined to gain the upper hand again, and growl, "yeah, must have been pretty easy to dig into my sister's brain and pull her apart from the inside. You probably enjoyed the little game that you and your monster of a brother played with her."

He looks pained for a moment and glances away from my gaze. His reaction makes me pause and as I take my seat hesitantly, he glances at me from the side of his eye and murmurs, "is she sleeping better?"

"Why in the name of hell would you care?" I sneer as I grab the file then throw it onto the table in my frustration at his avoidances. He had no right to show any compassion towards her either, he'd taken my sister from me. He'd destroyed Mare Barrow, he and all his Silver buddies. When he glances back at me he chides, "contrary to popular opinion, I do worry about your sister."

I laugh at his words and rest my head in my hand while I do. He expected me to believe that, after everything he had done? I wipe a tear out of my eye with my thumb and point out, "well, she hates you so-"

"as she rightful should," he interrupts, his gaze finally meeting mine again, his will unwavering. His words make my blanch once more, but I recover quicker than I think he was ready for. Rising from the table I whisper, "you're the monster that crawls through her dreams, that much I'm sure of."

He raises his eyes to meet mine once more and cautions, "I wouldn't be so quick to place that label on me," then he lowers his eyes to the file and continues, "if you want to find the creature that haunts Mare, you need to tell her to look in the mirror."

My fist snaps out faster than I can think, and the crack that resounds through the cell settles my nerves. He hits the ground hard, but doesn't cry out. When I appear on top of him, he doesn't look up either, instead he chooses to focus on the corner that he's facing. I crouch down and growl in his ear, "I bet you want me to tell her that, I bet you want me help you keep tearing her apart. Your games are over though, _your Highness,_ and I'm canceling your brother's as well."

He glances up at me then and with a nerve that I had no idea he had, murmurs, "I need to speak with her." His gaze is demanding, and I'm remained of the general he would have been. This man lying in the dirt before me would have been a legendary Silver general, and probably would have led Norta to victory against the Lakelanders. As I turn away though and snort in disgust at his action, the barest flickers of distress pass across his eyes, making me pause in curiosity. It's gone before I can question him on it though, and with the same pride that was making it almost impossible to break him, he heaves himself to his feet and crosses to sit on the cot once more. His cheek right below his eyes is already starting to swell, but he still looks imposing with it. He bows his head to me and murmurs, "I suppose we're done here then."

Grabbing the file off of the table, I growl, "not even close."

"Well then," he answers with a wan smile, "I'll see you tomorrow, Shade."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I woke from another nightmare, my sheets wet with sweat and my pillow wet with tears, this time I woke with only a gasp though. It wasn't dark in the room like I was used to waking up in, and the tiny lamp at the edge of my mattress was lit, drawing my attention like a magnet. Sitting on the edge of my mattress waiting for me to wake, was Shade, his arms crossed while he leaned against the dingy wall behind him. The lamp light threw heavy shadows across his features, but his eyes were unmistakeable in the darkness. We stared at each other while I caught my breath and then with a slow drawl he inquired, "what are you dreaming about?"

I shook my head, more in frustration than anything, and then laid back down and tried to roll over. He grabbed my shoulder though and growled in my ear, "don't fight me on this anymore, who do you see in your nightmares?"

Pushing him away with all the strength in my arms, I spit, "it's none of your business!"

He catches himself on the wall and watches me, fury evident in his tight jaw and tense shoulders. Kicking the blankets back, I rise and spit at him over my shoulder, "I can handle it myself."

I grab my jacket and yank it on over my shoulders which are slick with sweat and then streak by him, determined to escape the small room that we shared and find a place to cool down. The door screeches open and I take off own the hall at a sprint, my bare feet padding against the floor silently as I turn the corner quickly.

The hallways were getting colder by the week it seemed, and today it had been especially bad. The floor was ice cold, and my breath came out in puffs of steam as I sprinted through the halls. Shade was right behind me, his voice following me like a shadow that blotched out my thoughts. I stopped suddenly in the doorway that opened into the monstrous room with the mine shaft that led to Cal's cell. I clutched the doorframe with both hands and sagged down to the ground, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably with cold and fatigue. Shade's pounding steps stopped a few steps away from me, but he didn't come any closer.

I pressed myself against the doorframe, trying to make myself smaller, but I couldn't hide from the pecking of my thoughts, which danced around my head like dark shadows that slipped into the light only to bite me. I let out a muffled cry and then sank all the way to the floor in a huddle and let out a scream that must have echoed throughout the compound. From behind, Shade enveloped me in an embrace and pressed me into his chest where my screams were muffled. There was the pounding of more feet and Shade's gruff voice ordering, "no, I can handle this, just give us some space."

The guards that had abandoned their posts, took a few tentative steps back and eventually walked to their original positions on the other side of the tunnel to watch from a far. They were silent as they moved, but the soft clap of their rifles against their sides jarred me. I could see the Bowl of Bones in full clarity after that, but I wasn't standing in the sand with Cal, I was high above him, standing in the box with Maven hissing in my ear like the snake he was.

Down below I could see Cal glancing up at me, his face a mix of sadness and stoic calm, just like I remember. Next to Cal was Shade, looking up at me with a confused lopsided grin that he always wore to cheer me up when I was worried. Behind him was Gisa, her hands wrapped tightly around Kilorn's arm. And behind her was the rest of my family, all giving me bewildered looks.

With maddening clarity, I heard the fire of the rifles and with a scream of agony, I leaped forward, trying to throw myself over the balcony to them. Maven's hands yanked me back against him before I can tumbled over the edge. It's not Maven pulling me though, it Shade pulling me back against him. It's not Maven hissing in my ear, it's Shade, whispering that he's there, that he won't let anything hurt me.

I cried softly into his shoulder and whispered my apologizes, his only response was to scoop me up in his arms and carry me back towards our little room.

(/)

The next morning, Shade dragged me to his big Scarlet Guard leader's meeting. According to him, it should have more accurately be named, " _the meeting where everyone looks at everyone else to come up with solutions and then pulls bullshit excuses out of thin air_ ". He managed to get a smile out of me with that one, but I hadn't spoken since last night, which was most likely his reasoning for bringing me along to this thing. Although I had protested that I didn't know anything about policies or the other things one had to know to go to these meetings, he had insisted that I would learn on the fly.

The meeting room was almost full when we arrived and Shade told me to stand next to him so that I could see everything that was happening. Farley was at the head of the table, deeply engrossed in conversation with Tristan who was sporting a deep scar through his brow and cheek that he had earned during the capital siege. Her steel gaze flashed across the table toward me, and when she saw my small form next to my brother, her eyes narrowed and she whispered something curtly to Tristan who nodded tightly in response. According to Shade, no one knew about my breakdown last night, but based off of the looks that were shared around the table, I was a big topic in the Scarlet Guard leadership.

Farley called the meeting to order with a raised hand, which brought deathly silence on everyone present. She glanced down the table at a squirrelly man I had never seen, and nodded in his direction. He straightened his shoulders, and with a deep voice that did not match his body, reported, "no movement from the capital yet, but rumors are already spreading, according to our sources inside, the King's not making any big decisions… yet."

Farley nodded silently, her eyes falling to the faded map that was spread across the table, with random objects placed across it in no particular pattern. Next to the squirrelly man, a tiny woman pipped up, "but that doesn't mean he hadn't already made a move, he could have sent out Sentinels already."

Shade shifted next to me and leaned in to whisper, "what do you think?"

I tilted my head to the side to hear him better, and then shook my head silently. I didn't know the young man that was sitting on the throne, I thought I did, but I was wrong. I couldn't risk opening my mouth and being wrong about what his motives were, I couldn't risk ruining what Farley had built so far.

With a huff, Farley glanced to her right and nodded to a large man, his shoulders slumped from years of hard labor. He straightened them though, and with a deep, bellowing tone answered her silent question, "our numbers were sacked heavily in the capital siege two months ago, since then, membership applications have declined due to the restrictions, and… some of our own have been turned in already."

My gaze snapped up and a few people murmured around the table. Those edicts had been the bane of my existence ever since the paper had been shoved in my hand, and I had been forced to recite them. They had been enforced to turn the Reds against each other, and apparently they were doing exactly what they were intended to do. For a moment, I wondered if they had been Elara's idea, and not the Kings. As if she were thinking the same thing as me, Farley's jaw clenched tightly and with a harsh whisper she inquired, "upper or lower class operatives?"

"Lower, mostly scouts in the villages, our upper operatives have managed to flee the more dangerous areas." The man hung his head afterward, consumed with grief it seemed. A few of the other commanders did the same thing. Shade chewed on his lower lip after the report, his eyes snapping left and right as if he were reading something. When I followed his gaze, I saw that he was reading the map before us, looking from the rock next to his right hand, and then at the small paper weight that was to his left. It took a moment, but the map came into clarity for me. It was a faded map of Norta from a few years ago, almost a replica of the one that had hung in Julian's study. At the thought of him, my chest constricted and my blood ran cold. I wondered if he was even still alive, or if he had been killed just as Maven had told me.

I followed Shade's gazes for a second, until I head the deafening silence that was around us. There was a sight cough and Shade's head snapped up to meet Farley's eye. She was watching expectantly and with a raised brow she repeated her question, "have you learned anything new Shade?"

He shifted uncomfortably and then clearing his throat replied, "not much."

A few people around the table shared glances, and even Farley looked like she didn't believe my brother entirely. Her lips twisted like she had tasted something sour and then with a sickly sweet voice she inquired, "do I need to send someone else down to get the information I require?"

Shade swallowed visibly, and straightening his shoulders replied, "I've learned a few things, from what it sounds like though, it's mostly trivial stuff."

"Please, enlighten the rest of us, not all of us get to go down there and actually dig into him." The squirrel man growled, his eyes glinting ominously in the low light. Shade's gaze rested on him for a moment and with careful precision he replied, "he's just told me that we should be wary of making any moves. According to him, Maven will be a lose canon for a few weeks, then he'll settle down and be more careful with what he does."

Farley glanced at me and with a twist of her lips she inquired, "well Mare, you were near him the longest, care to approve of that assessment?"

My chest constricted and my body went cold. I _didn't know_ , so why did everyone just assume I did? Everyone at the table shifted a little and turned to look at me, their eyes boring holes in me, like the eyes of an expectant crowd. I lowered my chin to my chest and whispered, "Cal would know more than me, I-I didn't know Maven as well as he did."

"Well," Farley chided, her gaze hardening, "then it appears no one knew anyone at all. Maven thought he knew the Silver Prince, and that Prince thought he knew his brother, and you thought you knew both of them. How in the name of hell did any of you survive in the same vicinity for so long?"

My neck snapped up and with a cold tone I replied, "Maven was playing his games with his mother long before I got there, and as I recall, you thought you knew Maven also."

Farley's gaze softened the slightest bit, and I realized belatedly, that she had been looking for this reaction. She wanted to show her council that the little ball of lightening that she had described me as still existed. That the speak of her rebellion was still glowing, bursting with the same fire as before. She needed me to prove that they could all still have some fight in them, that was the reason for her prying, and I had given her exactly what she wanted. A part of me applauded her genius, the part that was still raw from Maven's betrayal though, was smarting from being played like a card deck one more time. I narrow my eyes at her but still give her a respectful glare, Farley was a cunning leader, I should have known that she could manipulate people just as well as Maven or Elara.

Slowly she turned her gaze away from me and Shade, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, as her eyes scanned the table and landed on another woman, almost the same stature as her, with dark black hair and swift green eyes. This woman lips turned down in a frown as she met Farley's gaze, and she shuffled some of the papers in front of her before she spoke. When she did it was to the point and brash, "we're going to die of cold down here."

Everyone around the table shared looks of confusion and even Farley frowned at the matter-of-fact tone. Lifting her head, the woman continued with a flat voice, "the boilers are falling apart, and I don't have mechanics that know how to fix them, we could be out of power and heat in a few weeks, maybe even days if they continue to deteriorate like they are."

Someone released a strangled cry of worry, and Farley gripped the table tightly, her knuckles almost turning white with her grip. Shade cursed softly under his breath and murmured, "we don't have anywhere to go though."

The cold over the past few days finally made sense, and the flickering in the power that I could sense at night also fit into the puzzle perfectly. Running through everything I knew about boilers, which was comparatively little, I came to a very brash conclusion. Raising my eyes to glance at Farley, who was in the process of trying to calm everyone down, I whispered to Shade, "I might know someone who can fix them."

His breath halted for a second and he called out before I could stop him, "Mare knows someone who might be able to fix them."

The room fell to a tense silence as everyone turned to stare at me again. I glared at my brother who motioned with his hand to speak. Farley cleared her throat when I didn't do anything and murmured for me to get on with it. Digging my nails into my palms to distract myself from the insane idea I was about to propose, I whispered, "Cal can fix them."

Farley looked at me for a moment like she thought I was joking with her and then burst out laughing hysterically. Everyone else around the table gave a shaky laugh, not entirely sure what was funny about the situation. Apparently no one had spoken of Cal by name, and they were worrying about why the mention of the name was funny to their leader. Shade flipped around to glare at me and I stared him down as I hissed, "I wanted to think about it for a little bit and mention it quietly, not blurt it out like that."

He opened his mouth to give me a verbal licking for embarrassing him with this, but Farley beat him to speaking, "tell me you're not serious Barrow. You want me to let a dangerous _Silver Prince_ , out of his cell, where he is securely held, and let him run around our compound doing _whatever he wants_?"

Everyone around the table exploded, giving their input on this, and Tristan began shouting for order a few seconds later, but it was my voice that brought silence. "Yes! He knows he has no where to go, he knows that he has no allegiance to the Silvers anymore. He would probably do anything to get out of that cell too. Put guards outside of the room, tether him to something so that he can't go anywhere, promise him peace while he's in there doing his work, and he will do what you want him to do." My voice was a lot stronger than I thought it would be in that moment, and my shoulders straightened automatically. I was surprised at the conviction that I had. I claimed to not know Cal at all, but here I was, claiming to know exactly what he would do. Shade looked at me in surprise and even the council blinked in surprise at my sudden change from a tiny, shell shocked little girl, to a commanding, powerful young woman. Farley glared at me across the table and hissed, "and what makes you think he could fix them?"

I raised my chin and replied cooly, "he built a cycle from scratch with his bare hands, I rode it, I saw what he can do with machinery. _He can fix them._ " I spoke with more conviction than I had felt in weeks, and it felt better than anything in the universe. Farley leaned back, taking in my words, and sizing up her options, while I stared her down across the table, daring her to question me. Tristan snapped to attention from his surprised stupor and growled in Farley's ear, "you can't seriously be thinking about this! He'll get out, he'll kill us all, and escape back to them."

Meeting my gaze with a poise of a queen, Farley whispered, "No he won't. Mare is right, he's broken, he could have escaped already if he wanted to, he has chosen to stay."

The squirrel man slammed his hands on the table and shouted in protest, "absolutely not! He could be playing us, waiting for this chance!"

"And what choice do we have? If we wait any longer our people will die down here. The base will not be ready for some time, and even then we have no transport besides the Undertrain to get there, and there is not enough cars to carry everyone in one trip." Farley growled, and the man slowly backed down, his shoulders caving in with his embarrassment. Everyone around the table lowered their eyes when Farley glared at them, and when she turned her steel gaze on me she hissed, "it is agreed then, the Silver Prince will be offered the opportunity, but if he so much as thinks of escaping, Mare Barrow will be held personally responsible for it."

I nodded silently and the meeting was adjourned.

9/9

I was livid as Farley and I descended in the mine lift. As much as I loved my sister, she could have the most twisted set of ideals I had ever heard of. It was infuriating to see how far this Silver had dug into her heart, and I was worried that Mare's wounded conscience was going to get us all killed. It was no secret to me now that the Prince had been right, and Mare was the monster haunting her own dreams. I couldn't help her with that though, it was up to Mare to fix her own wounds, I couldn't do anything about a guilty conscience. She shouldn't have one though, she did the right thing. Across from me in the lift, checking that the bindings we were bring with us were secure, Farley insisted quietly, "if he doesn't agree immediately to leave, shoot him."

I gripped the pistol at my side tightly and growled, "then what?"

"We say that he resisted and when you fired a warning shot, he got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time." Farley replied calmly, the shackles clinking together while she shook them out. I glared at her form in the darkness and hissed, "why don't we just shoot him then?"

She turned to face me, her demeanor cold, and her posture that of a fearless leader, but her voice careful as she replied, "we have to give him a chance to agree, someone has to fix the damned boilers or we're all going to die."

The lift slammed to a stop and I growled at the situation under my breath as I yanked open the doors. The two guards on duty glanced up in surprise at the screeching and then snapped to attention when they saw Farley. She nodded to them and they relaxed their posture slightly as she passed them. As I passed them, Farley motioned ahead of me for them to follow, and they sprinted a few steps to catch up, their rifles clapping against their backs as they went.

When we reach the door, I yank it open, causing it to groan in protest, and turn on the lights. They flash to life, showing the blanket tossed off to the side, and the prince lying flat on his back. It was almost midnight, and normally we let him sleep through the night, hopefully the sudden change threw him off and gave us the upper hand. The sudden change snapped him awake like I thought it would, and he stumbled to a sitting position, his hair sticking up in more directions that I could count and his clothes a rumpled mess. For a second, he actually looked like a prisoner of war, and not some Silver Prince who could fry us all like meat on a grill if he wanted. His eyes squinted against the light, and ran a hand through his hair, trying to tame it as he murmured, "so we've moved to this, excellent."

Sneering slightly at his conversational tone I growled, "get up."

His eyes snapped to mine, and those red and brown depths sparked like fire, making me realize I was giving him the satisfaction of seeing that he irritated me to no end. After some hesitation, he rose, and turned to face us, wearing the marks of his recent session with me like victory scars. His eye was still black and blue, and his ear had the slight glint of silver blood on it. His eye flitted to take in Farley, the new set of chains, and the guards who are shaking slightly in fear with their weapons gripped tightly in their hands. Slowly, his eyes turned back to meet mine and with a cool tone he whispered, "very well."

He took a step forward and the guards tentatively moved around Farley to grab his wrists. His eyes never left my face, even when Farley snapped the new chains on his wrists. She yanked on the chain, testing it's durability, and he winced as the bonds cut into his skin again. She pulled him toward the door and with a tone feigning politeness, she threatened, "the guards are on order to shoot if you resist, and I don't want to have to clean up silver blood."

With a slight hesitation after her comment, he followed us out of the cell and down the hall to the lift. The heat rolling off of him making the guards squirm in worry, and even though my back is turned, I could feel his eyes burning holes between my shoulder blades. I smiled to myself and thought wryly, _I bet you wish you could._ I glanced over my shoulder after my thought and saw that he had actually been staring at the back of my head. When his eyes met mine, he smirked slightly and dipped his head. Behind him and next to him the torches flared brighter, and the flames seemed to leap off the wick. The guards glanced to them, fear causing their grip to slacken, but he didn't try to escape, he just glanced at them, a flash of malicious humor in his eyes. My shoulders remained tense though, certain that he was just planning on escaping.

In the lift the silence was heavier than ever, but the higher we got, the colder it became in the lift. It took me a moment to realize that Cal was the one changing the temperature, his confusion and slight worry letting his ability run rampant. Glancing over my shoulder at the Prince once more, I saw him looking left and right rapidly, his eyes taking in the rickety mine shaft and state of the guards. Farley tugged on the chain to draw his attention forward again, and a hiss escaped past his perfect facade. One of the guards shifted uncomfortably, and reached for his rifle.

The lift slammed to a stop, making him stumble slightly, and almost run into the back of me. As the lift doors are yank open, we are surrounded by more guards, all of which are highly trained and are unafraid of the Silver marching to keep time with us. Glancing back over my shoulder at him once more, I briefly saw a flash of panic in his eyes. As if he could sense my gaze, he looked right at me and inquired hesitantly, "where are we going?"

It was the first time that I had seen a hint of trepidation in his features, normally, his stoic calm was enough to drive me up the walls. This new emotion made me even more worried though. A desperate soldier, was a dangerous soldier. Looking straight ahead at the guards in front of me, I opened my mouth to reply, only for Farley to answer for me.

"You'll see," Farley replied as she pulled on the chain again, and turned the corner to lead the way up a set of rickety metal stairs that led to a set of high catwalks that criss-crossed the ceiling. We had planned to lead him in the most convoluted way possible, and hopefully spare ourselves the trouble of giving away where everyone else in the compound was.

I had never been to the boiler rooms myself, and not many were allowed in that area. It was restricted to the civilian portion of the Scarlet Guard, unless they were mechanics, of which only two were. Behind me, Cal's eyes snapped left and right, taking in everything around him, and the prickling worry that I had felt since Farley had agreed with Mare's suicidal plan returned. He was an intelligent Silver general, he didn't need weapons to escape, he could do it with his bare hands and manage to get out with supplies and a transport.

After we walked across countless catwalks, Farley opened the heavy doors into the boiler rooms and descended another set of stairs that once more connected to dozens of cat walks that ran across the ceiling around all the machinery. Behind me, the temperature dropped another ten degrees and I heard the click of a gun as the safety was switched off. At the bottom, Farley stopped and with a curt nod, stepped out of the way. The Silver Prince was grabbed by the shoulders and thrown forward so that he stumbled as he tied to gain his footing with the chains. When he straightened, his eyes immediately met Farley's and with a sneer he growled, "I should have known that you were too much of a coward to execute me where everyone could hear."

Farley's head titled to the side slightly, as if she were looking at an amusing child and with a voice sweet as honey she inquired, "what are you talking about?"

He froze in surprise and then with a raised brow, glanced at his surroundings one more time. In the faint light from the fiery bowels of the boilers, his eyes were like pools of melting amber. If he were a true flame, he would have been a sparking ember, just waiting for dry brush to catch fire to. Farley stepped forward confidently and undoing the binders she recited, "we are about to ask something of you, _Your Highness._ " Her calm demeanor was betrayed by the poison she spit with his lost title. When she stepped away, he grabbed his wrists and rubbed them softy, surprised to be free of them. Farley motioned with her hand to the boilers around us and answered his silent question, "a little bird informed us that you have a gift with machinery. At the moment, we are having a machinery _problem_. So, if you want to continue living, you are going to help us, if you don't, well," there was the click of a few guns as the safeties were released, drawing Cal's eyes like magnets, "you have another option."

Slowly, Cal's eyes turned to met mine, and in the deepest depths of them, I could see the barest flickers of surprise and… relief? He straighed his back and with a casual drawl inquired, "and you trust me to do this?"

"Oh _we_ don't trust you to do anything," I replied, my grip shifting to the gun on my hip as well, "but the little bird does, so don't disappoint."

He frowned in confusion, his gusto gone for a moment, as he slowly turned to look at all the machinery around him. Farley smiled and with the same tone as him commented, "besides, we know you have no where to go, and _you_ know the same thing. At least here, you can live to see another day."

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of indecision, his shoulders slumped and he bowed his head in submission. He glanced at the boiler nearest to him, and blew out a heavy sigh. He wasn't happy with the situation or his choices, but he was smart, and he would buy time for now. Farley's lips twisted into a grin upon seeing his reaction, and with that, she turned on her heel to leave, motioning for the guards to follow. I turned to follow as well, only for our prisoner to flip around and command, "I will need parts and tools."

Farley paused on her way to the stairs and with a smile that was feigning delight, replied, "They are prepared, if there is anything you need, Shade here will be watching."

I let out a snort of distaste, that was not in the main plan, and I was not going to sit around and watch him work all day. I had more important things to do with my time than watch a defeated Silver tinker with some boilers. With a glance in my direction, Farley narrowed her eyes and motioned up the stairs.I was going to be having a word with her about this, and she knew it. She also knew that she would win no matter what. Every argument between the two of us ended that way. The only one I had the honor of victory for was the decision to keep Mare away from Cal for as long as possible. The guards former ranks around their leader, who ushered them ahead of her. As Farley turned to leave once more, the Prince inquired, "who told you I knew how to work with machines, it's not in my file."

Shifting on the first few steps of the stairs, Farley glanced down at him, only to turn and look up at me for permission. We had all agreed as a council that we would not give away that this was Mare's idea. I refused to let him know that he had dug such a deep trench in my sister's mind. If he knew though, maybe we could play on those supposed clandestine feelings he had referred to. With a tight nod, I gave the permission that might seal my sister's fate with this Silver.

Shrugging, Farley didn't look back as she passed me and replied over her shoulder, "Mare Barrow told us."

The Silver's eyes widened slightly, and his face paled suddenly. With a smile of pleasure at his surprise, I turned I followed Farley up the stairs, leaving the once proud Crown Prince of Norta alone in the boiler rooms.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

It was midday when Shade appeared in the tiny camp that Gisa and I had occupied for the past hour. He looked agitated and jumpy, his eyes searching the shadows around us for something, and his lips were drawn down in a deep frown. The toddlers all screeched in joy and ran towards him, forcing him to crouch down and give each and every one of them a fake smile. He ruffled the hair of a small boy and made his way to me, with no deviation from his path. Gisa oohed next to me, and then teased me, her words barely a whisper, "you must be in very deep trouble."

I scowled at her and then straightened up from my knees where I was playing with a small girl to catch a glimpse of Shade as he made his way to us. It had taken a few weeks for the kids to persuade me to play with them, and there hadn't been an incident yet, but I was waiting for one.

As my brother continued to approach me, I rose to meet him head on. He stopped when he was almost toe to toe with me and murmured, "you're needed in the war room."

My brow rose in surprise and Gisa glanced at us from her prone position next to an old woman who she was sewing with. The little girl I had been playing with leaped to her feet and grabbing onto my leg, cried up to me, "do the lightening thing Mare!"

I offered her a weak smile and pulling her arms off of my legs I replied sternly, "I'm feeling a little too tired, maybe another time."

She pouted at my avoidance and then slipped over to Gisa, and after climbing into her lap, began pestering her with questions about me and everyone in our family. Shade watched the toddler sadly for a moment and then motioned for me to follow him. I pursed my lips tightly and we began the trek back to the heart of the compound. Shade glanced over his shoulder at me and then advised, "you shouldn't use your ability around the kids, they'll get ideas-"

"I don't, I'm not stupid Shade." I chided, as I side stepped a young man who was watching his mother sew up the patches in his uniform. Shade seemed to see the worry that flashed through my eyes, and with a soft tone he whispered, "no one under the age of twenty is allowed out of the compound, we learned our lesson with the capital."

"Kilron goes out," I argued, my fist clenching at my friends stupidity. Shade frowned at my reply and then with a shrug, he pointed out, "he has a death wish, and Farley lets it stand, but it won't for long." His eyes turned downcast as we passed the small infirmary that housed the sick and dying. A few distinguishable moans could be heard and I saw Shade's shoulders tense as we passed it. Sometimes I forgot that Shade had fought on the front lines, and that he had seen more death than I had. He hid his memories of the front so well.

As we were leaving the edge of the camp, a small form slipped out of the shadows and whispered, "Mare?"

Shade glanced to the side with me as we both paused and saw Maggie step out to intercept us. She looked so tiny, and she was shivering slightly, her empty eyes staring between me and Shade. My brother blinked in surprise at Maggie's ability to know it was me, and with a soft whisper, he questioned her, "I don't believe we've met, what's your name?"

She blinked at him for a second, her brows furrowing before she whispered, "Maggie, and I know you, you're Shade."

To my brother's credit, he didn't freak out as much as I had. He blinked though, dumb found for a second at Maggie's knowledge. Instead of speaking to him again though, she stepped towards me and motioned for me to crouch down so that I was eye level with her. I followed her unspoken command and as soon as I was low enough, she whispered, "be careful Mare, something bad's coming."

I raised my brow in question and replied softly, mostly to appease her, "what's coming?"

She shook her head as if she were shaking water out of her ears at my uninterested tone, and replied, "I couldn't tell you, something bad. It hurts my head to think about it."

I rose slowly form my crouch, my lips twisted slightly, and Shade looked between us, his gaze both worried and stunned at at our exchange. I nodded softly and then inquired softly, "I understand, but Maggie, is the bad thing directed at me?"

She frowned and then glancing at Shade she shook her head and whispered, "it's directed at a lot of people, it feels like… like strings attached to everyone," she paused and then glaring at me she switched topics suddenly, "you said that I could talk to him soon."

I winced and then crouching down again, I replied in a hurried whisper so that Shade would miss the intent of the conversation, "Maggie I never said I could do that, it's safer if you don't."

"I have to! I need to tell him what I saw." Maggie argued stubbornly, her hands gripping her hips as she leaned toward me and set her jaw tightly. She could be a pain sometimes, especially when she got onto this topic with me. She had been insisting for days that she needed to see Cal, that she had something very important to tell him. I had lied and told her two days ago that I would see if I could take her to see him, and I had hoped that she would stop asking me about it like a normal child. Maggie wasn't normal though, and she most certainly was not going to be deterred by my avoidances.

Shade watched our exchange with a confused frown, until Maggie turned to glare at him and urged, "I need to see Cal! I need to tell him something important." She took a step towards Shade and glared up at him, hoping to use her stature to convince him. Her action only seemed to snap his protective brother mode on though, and he insisted, "that's not an option, I'm very sorry."

Maggie let out an exasperated sound through her nose and grabbing Shade's hand she urged, "it's important!"

He sighed and then pulling her fingers off of his hand he inquired, "if you tell me what it is, I can tell him."

"No, no, no," Maggie whined as she crossed her arms and shook her head stubbornly, " _I_ have to do it!"

Shade shared a glance with me for a moment and then sighing, he murmured to the young girl in front of him who looked to be on the verge of tears, "I'm very sorry… Maggie, but we can't let you. And how do you even know about him, no one knows but-"

"I can sense him, I can feel him like a a light in the dark." Maggie replied as she wiped away the wetness we had both noticed in her eyes. She had given Shade the same response that she had given me when I'd asked the same thing a week ago, and hearing it a second time didn't make it any more clear. My brother nodded, his brows raising in skepticism, but he tried to appease her by replying, "oh, well I suppose that makes sense," pulling on my arm slightly, Shade smiled down at her and continued, "I'm very sorry, but Mare and I have to go, we're late to a very important meeting."

Maggie opened her mouth to try and argue with us, but Shade pulled me along before she could say anything. As I glanced over my shoulder at her, she stepped into the doorway and watched us go, her arms crossed and her annoyance rolling off of her like an electric charge.

(/)

A full mission briefing and a couple hours later, I'm smushed between Shade and another Scarlet Guard member in the back of a canopied truck. The road was bumpy and every so often someone would slam into another at the beginning of the bench and the domino effect would reach me and almost throw me out of my seat. The smell of burning oil and bad brakes filled the air between us, and ever so often, someone would cough and struggle to regain their breath.

The group I was traveling with had been tasked by Farley to visit a nearby village and try to sway those living there that we were trying to help them. The trip would take a day to get there, and we would remain in the village over night, and then depart at dawn the next day. It was a short trip, according to Shade, and under his breath he had muttered that that was all we could afford anyway.

We didn't talk about Cal and what was happening in the boiler rooms, we didn't talk about anything really. The silence between us was brittle though, and when I had tried to question him about it, he had just shrugged and said that relationships changed when people changed. I wondered if he was talking about me or himself, it was most likely me though.

I turned slightly on the bench to look out the back of the truck, watching the dusty road continue on to oblivion. A hundred yards below us was the Undertrain, and almost two hundred miles south was the entrance to the underground hideaway that the Scarlet Guard occupied. The dust kicked up behind us in a bigger cloud than normal, and a sudden bump threw me to the floor. I cried out as my cheek hit the metal the floor, and another bump threw a few of the soldiers to the ground with me. We bumped along for a few minutes, people being thrown to the floor left and right. Shade fell next to me, and with a struggle he pushed himself up and stumbled to the small sliding door that allowed us to communicate with the driver. Another set of bumps almost threw him to the floor again, and the guard that had been sitting next to me, fell forward, and cried out an apology as he landed on top of me.

Shade managed to yank the small door open, and shout, "what in the name of-" he faltered and then flipped around and shouted, "everyone out of the truck!"

The guard on top of me looked up in surprise, only to take a bullet to his temple from the side. I screamed as his blood splattered across my face and I instinctively covered my head with my hands to try and shield myself. There were screams as bullets pelted the truck from both sides, shattering the metal and screaming every time another bullet passed through. The cabin was filled with the sounds of pain as many of the troops around me cried out in surprise as a bullet pierced their skin. Shade had pressed himself to the floor a few feet away from me and was trying to scream something at me. I cried out to him, only for the truck to suddenly swerve. I screamed as it tipped and rolled, throwning me left and right like a rag doll. Anyone who was still alive, screamed in terror as they were thrown around with their dead comrades.

The truck landed with a sickening crunch on the roof, and I cried out as I was thrown against one of the walls. Some of the holes that the bullets had created were sharp and burning, and as I landed on them, they cut through the leather jacket I had on and burned my skin. There was silence for a few seconds, and then a groan as Shade slowly tried to push himself up, followed by the moan of anyone who was still alive. My brother's neck snapped up and his eyes searched wildly, and when he saw me alive, he choked out my name. I tired to mov, but ended up clutching my rib cage which felt like it had been smashed to pieces.

Outside of the truck there was the sound of cracking glass as someone walked carefully toward us. Shade put his finger to his lips and then laid his head down and closed his eyes. I listened carefully to the sound of the footfalls as they approached, there was a moment of silence as a pair of leather clad legs stopped outside and a pair of boots with metal studs on the toe stopped in front of the opening to the truck. I felt my throat close and slowly I slid down to the floor, hoping to hide myself from the Silver standing outside. It burned like hell and I shoved my knuckles in my mouth to keep from making a sound as I made my slow descent to the roof.

As I slid down, I kicked one of the soldiers on the floor who groaned. A second later, the metal of the truck began to condense around us. It screeched as it slowly pressed in on us, and eventually it stopped when it was only a few inches from suffocating us. Slowly, the magnetron crouched down and through the bodies in front of me, I caught a glimpse of platinum blonde hair.

Evangeline scanned the truck and then shouted over her shoulder, "she's not in here!"

She rose and then stormed back the way she had come, shouting orders left and right. Another voice joined hers, one that was also familiar. I tensed, as Ptolemus stormed by the back of the truck, and shouted to his sister and the troops that followed behind him. Sets of boots continued in well practiced lines, and the pounding of their march reverberated through my skull like a drum beat.

Outside, I heard one of the soldiers ask, "what should we do with the truck?"

There was a pause and then Evangeline stated cooly, "burn it, no use giving away our hiding place."

I took a shaky breath at the order, and then glanced through one of the bullet holes that had been widened by the sheer amount and force of the bullets that had passed through. A young man was glancing at the truck, on the sleeve of his uniform was a familiar insignia. As I tried to remember what it meant, a soft had fell onto my back and I almost screamed, but Shade wrapped his hand around my mouth and whispered in my ear, "close your eyes."

There was a click and then the tarp cover, near the back entrance, burst into flames. Shade pushed himself over me, sheltering me as some of the flames leaped toward us. Shade let out a soft curse and I followed his eyes to the tanks of gasoline that were sitting near out heads. Some of the tanks had been punctured by the bullets, and the liquid was pooling on the floor in a terrible end for us.

Shade gripped my waist and then whispered, "hang on, we're going for a ride."

A piece of the fiery debris fell into the pool and as if caught fire, Shade teleported us, but not before the gas tanks exploded and set us reeling.

We reappeared in the middle of the hanger bay that was full of tech personnel that were testing nonfunctioning trucks. We flew across the hanger, the force of the blast sending us back even though we had escaped it. We slammed into the far wall, and people screamed as they scattered to avoid us. We fell to the concrete floor, and Shade groaned as he rolled off of me. Without his weight, I could breathe again and, I rolled my shoulders, ankles and neck, testing for anything that was broken. From across the hanger there were shouts for Farley as someone who recognized us came running across the hanger.

From around the corner of one of the trucks, Bree appeared, followed by Tramy. My other brother's pulled Shade off of me completely, and grabbing me, Bree cried, "Mare, Mare what happened?"

I looked over his shoulder as Farley came running across the hanger toward us, her hair flying around her head, and her gun drawn. Tristan was not far behind her, and most of the council was running with her. I choked and the whispered, "they were waiting for us Bree, they knew we were coming."

His eyes widened and I closed my eyes, trying to drown out the picture of Evangeline and her brother. The symbol of the soldiers uniform though, it stuck out to me like a beacon, refusing to be ignored. Bree watched me, shocked, his jaw slack and his eyes wide. Slowly he helped me to my feet, and Tramy helped Shade to his, and when we were both standing, Farley joined us, her chest rising and falling as she heaved in breath.

"What—happened?" She chocked as she tried to look at us both at the same time, her gaze was panicked, and for a moment reality settled in for me. we had almost died, and the Silvers were out hunting for us finally. Before Farley or anyone else could ask again, Shade slowly straightened, his arm wrapped around his middle to support his bruising abdomen, and growled, "they were waiting for us."

(/)

Two days later, I slowly walked across the catwalks, the metal plates ringing even though I tried to be quiet. Around me, the machinery screeched and clanked. We had turned on our back up generators while Cal tried to make the boilers operational again. They were working overtime, and honestly, they were failing too.

I had spent a full forty eight hours in the ill supplied medical center, and had been released without an extreme injuries. My mother had come running the moment she heard, and had cried over both of us for hours. My father had spoken with Bree and Tramy who knew less than everyone else, and tried to get a meeting with Farley, who had denied any comments. From what Bree had told me in a whisper, Farley had a panicking council on her hands, all of which were starting to think that this rebellion wasn't worth the fight anymore.

I could see the guards that were standing outside of the boiler room door in the shadows, their red uniforms like a scarlet streak against the gray, dull surface. They stood to sharp attention when I arrived, not the least bit surprised to see me. I dipped my head to them, all my passion and fire spent after my new, near breeze with Death. They glanced at each other and then stepped aside, allowing me to pass. I looked up in surprise, and then took a tentative step between the two of them. They were huge, burly men that had stone cold faces, and their eyes could have frozen fire.

With a clank, one of the unlocked the door in my distraction, and yanked it open, causing it to screech on its hinges. He dipped his head to me, a silent invitation to enter, and I took it quickly. As soon as I stepped through the door, it was slammed closed behind me. Above my head on the catwalks were a few other soldiers, their guns held at attention as they paced the length of the room. A few of them saw me and gave me weak smiles. It had been passed around like a wild fire that we had been ambushed on our way to the village and that Shade and I were the only survivors. The survivor's guilt had already began its picking at my heart, and it was magnified by ten now. The men around me could have been older brothers, fathers, friends of those that were on the mission, and they were all dead because of me, because Maven wanted me and me only.

Before anyone could come over and try to pry details out of me, I descended the stairs and scanned the room for him. The boiler rooms spanned a good hundred yards and were filled with machinery that made my head ache just looking at it. As I passed through the rows of pipes and tanks, I noticed that a pattern began to emerge. There were parts scattered across the floor and tools left with them, and I figured that the more parts and tools there were, the closer I was getting to them. I slipped through the maze until I saw a tool box that was open and heard the soft sound of someone humming. As I approached, I slowed and listened to him. He was humming that gosh damn song again, the one that he had first taught me to dance to, with its happy upbeat tone and quick pace. As if I was not upset enough already, I had to hear this.

He was underneath one of the boilers, his head deep inside, and his legs hanging out. He didn't appear to hear me, and I would have been surprised if he did around the hum of everything else. Slowly, I crouched down next to his tool box and called his name. There was a bang and he cursed in pain as he hit his head against something. I fell backwards in surprise and he pushed himself out from underneath. He rubbed his forehead and continued to curse under his breath as he tried to find whoever had disturbed him. His eyes eventually snapped to me, and he stopped cursing for a moment, only for his lips to draw into a tight line. We watched each other for a few seconds, me taking in his dirty shirt that was covered in grease, and his tired face that had smudges of black on it from the leaking machinery, and him in turn taking in my torn uniform, and the stitched wound near my hairline from where I hit my head when the truck had rolled.

Eventually he sighed and pushed himself back under the machine, his voice still carried out to me though, "is there anything I can do for you?"

There was silence for few seconds, broken only be the sound of him tinkering with something inside of the machine. I took a shaky breath, completely prepared to deliver the speech I had orchestrated with Shade, but instead I blurted, "Ptolemus is in control of Shadow Legion."

The sounds stopped and he pushed himself out from underneath, his eyes met mine and I saw the flags of pain that passed through his irises. I could understand it too, that was _his_ legion. He had hand picked every soldier in it, had trained them personally, and now one more thing had been stolen from him and given to another. I lowered my eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry."

He snorted, very unbecomingly, and murmured, "should have known, he always wanted it." With that he sat up and ran a tired hand through his hair. When I looked up again, I saw how faded it was, and how sunken his cheeks were. Tentatively I whispered, "have you been eating?"

A laugh escaped his lips and he turned to look at me, a slight spark in his eyes. "Oh, I don't know _,_ have you been _sleeping_?"

I turned away at his comment, my cheeks burning. We were silent for a while, and he glanced down at his hands during that silence. I chewed on my lip as I tried to avoid his gaze, and for a moment I wondered what I was thinking, coming down her to talk to him.

He broke the silence suddenly, his voice heavy with exhaustion, as he murmured, "how do you know?"

I inhaled deeply, hoping to try and sooth the guilt that was building up in my chest once more. He didn't deserve any of this, he didn't deserve to have lost everything he had ever wanted. I swallowed past my tight throat and then whispered, "we were sent on a mission, and," I hesitated, this was not the script; I was not supposed to tell him anything, but I couldn't help it, he needed to know. "The Legion was waiting for us about a hundred miles out."

He tensed and then replied softly so that we were almost speaking in the same tone, "how many casualties?"

"None for the Legion, twelve for us, included the driver and his partner." I reiterated, the statistic still bringing bile to my throat. A tear wiggled past my defenses and fell with a soft plop onto my clasped fists, as all of the deceased faces passed by in my minds eye. The young man sitting across from me couldn't have been older than Cal, and the man next to me must have been a father because he had had a small pink ribbon tied around one of the zippers on his jacket.

Just as he had done in the cell weeks ago, Cal set his hand softly on mine, and squeezed gently. The simple intimacy of the touch bringing more tears to my eyes. The wall between us seemed to vanish, and it gave me permission to continue. Through a thick throat, I managed to choke out, "I saw, I saw the badge on one of the Silver's arms."

Cal sighed and then breathed, his voice barely a whisper, "survivors guilt is the worst kind, believe me I know."

His change of subject barely registered with me, until I realized that he wasn't talking about statistics anymore. He rose slowly from his sitting position and I watched him grab a rag hanging on one of the pipes near us. Slowly, he wiped his hands off and without glancing at me, he continued, "none of this was your fault Mare."

"How can you say that?" I spit, my words like poison as I leaped to me feet. He glanced at me in curiosity and warned, "don't take the world on your shoulders Mare, it will crush you."

My chest rose and fell sharply, and tears rose to my eyes like a dam had exploded behind them. I knew he was right, I didn't want to hear it from him though. It was like salt in a wound then. If it wasn't my fault, then who held the blame? Certainly not Cal, who was a pawn as much as I had been, but he had been my pawn. Maybe Maven, but he was as much a piece in the game as anyone. Elara, perhaps, but she was just doing what she felt was best for her son, all be it selfishly. If none of us where at fault then who was?

Cal hung the rag up again and then taking my arms in his steady grip, he leaned down to whisper to me, "because I saw what happened. Shade told me that Maven told you to use me. What happened in the Capitol what not your idea."

"But I _agreed_ ," I argued, my voice rising in pitch, as I pulled away from him and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to hold every piece of me together. He sighed again, and then stepping up behind me, he whispered softly, "you were doing what you thought was right, and I was also."

"I took everything from you! When are you going to understand that?" I shouted as I flipped around on him, and it was then that I felt the surge of electricity in my body. I felt it crackling along my arms, and coursing through my veins like fire. It was like a sirens call from long ago, like a lullaby that I only remembered a few words of, and it soothed something inside of me. As I faced Cal like that, I saw his shoulders tense, only for him to relax them. He crossed his arms in frustration and argued, "and I didn't do the same? I took you from your family, and threw you to the wolves."

"At least you did it because you cared!"

"And you didn't also?" He replied, his brows drawing tight, and his eyes narrowing. For a second, I hesitated, and the energy crackling along my arms died. The wall between us completely dissolved, and I realized with surprise that that was what had been between us. It was the unspoken promise that we both cared, that he had save my life, and I had tried in vain to make him pick between two things that he cared about. Slowly, I backed down and whispered, "I wasn't sure."

He sighed once more, and then replied softly as he turned his back to me, "I wasn't sure either."

Had he meant he didn't know if I had cared, or if he had? For a scarlet moment, I hoped it was the latter. If it was, then he had truly been conflicted that night. Maybe he hadn't been sizing up the crown and me, maybe he had been sizing his feelings for me up.

We sat in silence again, which allowed me to collect myself, and for him to return to his work. He checked a few of the pressure gages, and then went to grab a tool in the box next to me. Before he could though, I stamped my foot on it and closed the lid. He froze and then glanced up at me. I inhaled sharply when I saw the fire in his eyes and tight draw of his lips. He wasn't going to play games with me anymore, but I had come down here for information, and I still had a plan on how to get it.

"Do you think they'll find us?" I inquired, hoping he didn't hear the slight shake in my voice. He motioned to my foot which was still firmly planted on the box, while he stated carefully, "I don't know."

"That's a lie," I warned, now that the unseen presence between us was gone, I felt bolder, and I was getting the information even if it took going to blows with him. His gaze snapped up to mine and he growled, "why do you want to know?"

I pushed the tool box behind me with my foot and he straightened to his full height, which was at the least, a foot taller than me. When he stood over me like that, it sent a shiver down my spine, and reminded me that he hadn't been just a prince. Cal had been a general, a leader, and by the gods, he would have been a terrifying prospect to fight against. I shrank slightly, but tried to hold my ground. He seemed to be respectful of this, of my ability to stand up to him, because he seemed to shrink down as well. It was then that I noticed the sweat that rolled down from my hairline, and the heat around us. When I glanced down at Cal's hands, they were empty of the fire that would have occupied them, and I saw his bare wrists. He still didn't have his bracelets, and a brash plan formulated in my head.

"Tell me everything you know, and I'll get you your bracelets back." I offered, my voice like steel even though my insides were like a pool of liquified mush in the pit of my gut. He took a step back from me, and seemed to think about it for a moment. With narrowed eyes he replied hesitantly, "and you can do that?"

"Do you want them back, or not?" I inquired, my hand held out, as if trying to offer them to him right that second. He glanced at my hand and his lips twisted for a moment. Cal was many things, but he was not dim, he probably knew I couldn't get the bracelets, but what he didn't know what that my word was my word, and I would keep to it. After a few seconds, his lips flattened out and he murmured, "I'll hold you to it, Mare."

He slipped his hand into mine and squeezed it tightly as we shook on our deal. When he slipped his hand away, mine felt cold and clammy. With a horrible twist in my stomach, I realized that I missed his touch, the warmth of it, and the security it offered.

He moved around me then, and yanked the tool box out from under my foot, causing me to stumble. He started to walk down the path, and I took off after him, having to almost run to keep up with his long strides. He glanced at me when I was finally caught up and stated, "if they didn't tag you, then they can't find you. I doubt they had time though, if anything, they were just scouting for a-"

"Evangeline said I wasn't there, do you think they're just looking for me?" I inquired, my breaths coming in shallow as I tried to keep up with him. He was in war mode now, calculating odds and strategies, which didn't leave much brain usage for noticing me. His lips pursed at my question though, and he shook his head, "you, me, anyone. They probably want you though, so that they can get ahold of that book you have."

"The book of names," I breathed, and Maven's threat banged inside my brain once more. Cal nodded tightly and then continued, his voice careful, "I'm sure Julian swept the system after he found those names, so Maven's probably working backwards to try and find all of them. He's not getting the information fast enough though, so he sent Ptolemus and Evangeline out to hunt you down."

I snapped to a stop and then questioned, "how did you know that Julian-"

He stopped as well and raised a brow at me before replying, "he's my _uncle_ , did you honeslty think he didn't tell me everything when I went to tell him to leave?"

"So, you knew, you knew the whole time that I was working with the Scarlet Guard?" My eyes widened at the implications of that. Cal had known, and he hadn't turned me in, maybe he had cared more than I anticipated. Seeing the realization in my features, he narrowed his eyes and growled, "I didn't know everything, only that Julian suspected that you were, and that there was someone else in the palace working with you. He thought it was me." Cal finished with a laugh and then shaking his head, he continued past another set of boilers.

How ironic, I thought, it wasn't Cal, but his brother. Julian had known too, and he had tried to warn Cal about it. That's why the Legion had been ready when we had tried to invade, Cal had been alerted to a mole and he had been waiting for us.

He paused at another boiler, interrupting my thoughts, and whispered to the pipes, "you should be careful, I told you once before, I'm a good hunter, but so is Evangeline, and Ptolemus will always be a good killer."

My chest constricted at the warning he was trying to give me, and I whispered gratefully, "thank you Cal."

He glanced at me over his shoulder, as if he could tell how genuine my thanks was, and I felt frozen in that gaze. It was then that I saw the fear that flashed through his eyes like a star in the night sky. Slowly, he set down his tool box and as he turned to face me, he whispered, "you don't have control over your ability yet. You need to achieve it."

Lowering my eyes I replied tightly, "Julian was supposed to teach me, but-"

"I suppose I'll have to pick up where he left off." Cal interrupted, his words precise and without a hint of regret. My head snapped up and I inquired in surprise, "really?"

He shrugged and crouched down to open the lid of his box. He pulled out a wrench and warned, "I can't exactly go fight Maven if you can't hold your own too."

The silence after his comment was different from all the others that had been between us since the night of the siege. It was full of hope and maybe even respect. We had reached mutual ground again, and I was determined not to let it slip out from underneath me this time.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

My father had his way and I was not allowed on missions for the time being. He couldn't stop Shade though, who was considered an elite member of the guard. A few days after he had recuperated, he took a band of soldiers with him, and set out to spy on the Silver's camp. He'd taken Bree with him, and left Tramy in charge of me. I was restricted from seeing Cal, and I was restricted from following Shade. I hadn't told anyone about my deal with Cal, which only left stealing his bracelets.

The night before I was supposed to meet him for our first "lesson", I asked Farley about the bracelets. She gave me a sideways look that was vaguely suspicious, and I was forced to backpedal and finish, "I was just curious, are we ever going to give them back to him?"

She frowned and then looking forward as we walked towards the mess hall, and with a tight voice she replied, "I doubt it, he is a prisoner, not a member of our guard."

After that, I figured that she wouldn't keep them on her person, she would tuck them away somewhere safe. Someplace where no one would think to look, which left only the option of hiding them in plain sight.

Late the next night, I snuck into the council room, and poked around at all the shelfs, looking under papers, and in boxes. They weren't there though, and I felt the scratch of irritation on the edges of my mind. There were no other secret places that Farley could have kept it, except in her rooms, which were completely off limits to everyone, even council members. You had to be invited in, if you wanted to even see them.

But I doubted Farley kept the bracelets in her rooms, she wouldn't want them in her direct possession if Cal broke out. She would want them somewhere he would never think to look, because he had never seen it. Which only left this room. I walked towards the large center table, and started looking under the chairs, under the table, everywhere that they might have been hidden. When I finally got to Farley's chair, I looked it over the hardest; every inch of it, even the ground around it, but my search turned up nothing. I didn't have much more time, but I also knew that if I showed up empty handed, then Cal would turn me away. I searched in ernest then, desperate to find the stupid things before someone found me, or I was late to my meeting with him. I had to be there when the guards rotated, or I would miss my opportunity to slip in. According to Cal, once every three hours, the guards switched, and there was a period of two minutes when no one was standing by the doors. I didn't bother to ask how or why he knew that, but I filed it away for later to warn Shade about, after I had finished learning everything I could about my ability though.

After five more minutes of searching in vain, I slammed my hand against the table in frustration. As if sensing my anger, a small plank near the other end of the table popped up with a creak. My eyes snapped to it immediately, and slowly,I slipped around the table and reached out to yank the plank away completely. My hands shock with trepidation as I lifted the plank completely, and looked inside. If the bracelets weren't there, then they were definitely in Farley's rooms and I would be going to Cal empty handed. Underneath the rotting wood was a small box built into the table, barely the size of my hand, and only an inch deep, it was completely desecrate. Upon further inspection though, I noticed Cal's bracelets glinting dully at the bottom.

My lips pulled up in excitement and I snatched them out before I thought to inspect the little hiding hole further. The metal was cool against my palm and I took a moment to glance them over, my curiosity spiking at the weight of them in my hand. I had only ever seen the from afar, and Cal and never taken them off, except when they were yanked from his wrists before we were thrown into the cells below the Bowl of Bones. They were beautiful crafted, and as I looked closer, I saw that parts of the metal had been engraved with swirling spirals that linked together and seemed to continue for eternity. It was mesmerizing to look at, and with a jolt I realized that I had never seen patterns on Maven's bracelets, and I had gotten more than enough good looks at his.

Slowly, I tucked them into the pocket of my jacket and pulled the plank over the hole, my question almost burning in my throat. The patterns were messy enough that they couldn't have been done by a machine, but they were far too complex to have been done in one sitting. I didn't think of Cal's braceltes as very personable contraptions, but if they were designed like this, then Cal must have requested it, or done it himself. The latter would have been a surprise that I wouldn't know what to do with. Cal had never seemed like the type to craft something like that, if anything, he might had asked someone else to do it.

With the objets of my musing hanging like dead weights in my pocket, I made my way toward the boiler rooms in search of Cal and an answer. They practically burned a hole in my pocket as I entered the deserted hallway. This was treason to the highest degree, and there was no guarantee that I wouldn't be caught, but the longer I walked alone, the more I realized how paranoid I might be. The hallways were empty and my boots made soft echoing sounds every time they impacted with the stone floor, and the sound sent eerie shivers down my spine. The closer I got to the boiler room though, the more my morose mood vanished and was replaced by excitement and nerves. I hadn't been trained in my ability for months, and I was looking forward to having someone show me how to use it again, especially someone like Cal, who had managed to hold his own against three opponents in the Bowl of Bones with no help. Although the thought of the arena normally triggered a wave of guilt, no such feeling arrived, and I smiled at the lack of it.

By the time I reached the doors, the guards were leaving, and a sigh of relief escaped past my lips. I thought that I'd missed my window of opportunity and would have to wait another three hours before I could enter. Slipping through the shadows like I was one of them, I approached the door and pulled it open. It still groaned on rusted hinges, and I winced as the metal scrapped against the catwalk. Glancing over my shoulder for any sign of the guards who had recently left, I expelled a sigh of relief and ducked inside. Even though my hands shook with nerves as I descended the stairs, it wasn't because I was afraid to get caught. At night, the guards didn't patrol the catwalks as much, they remained in a corner of the room, chatting and trying to keep each other awake, according to Cal. He had complained as we walked through the boilers that that was the worst training he had ever seen, and honestly, was somewhat of an insult. I told him that he could shove his opinion where it belonged.

Now, I passed through the boilers, the lights overheard were naturally dimmed with the lack of power, creating an eerie red glow all around me. The farther in I went, the darker it became, and the louder the machinery was. It ceased to be a dull hum, and instead became a loud crashing that made my ears ache. How Cal managed to sleep in here, I had no idea.

Near the back of the boiler room was a small concave that was free of machinery. A graying bed sheet had been strung up to act as almost a curtain, and a tarp that was littered with holes was strung on top of the little hide away. As I approached, I shifted the curtain aside, and whispered Cal's name so that I didn't startle him by just appearing again.

There was a scuffle in the darkness and then a flicker as a lamp was lit. Cal's form came into view and before I could ask where he got all of this, he yanked me into the shadows and extinguished the lamp. In the darkness, I was pressed up against his chest and I pushed against him on reflex gasping, "what—let go of me!"

He covered my mouth with his hand and I went to bite down on his fingers, but I paused when I heard the drum roll of a guard's footsteps as one of them passed over head. My eyes snapped up to glance through one of the hole in the tarp overhead, and through the ripped fabric I could see the boots of one of the guards as he stood on the catwalk overhead. His riffle was clutched in his hand and his eyes scanned the room, but when nothing moved, he grumbled something inaudible and turned around to walk back the way he had come. As soon as we couldn't hear the echo of his steps, Cal let go of me, and I fell backwards onto a mattress as he growled, "for a thief you're not very subtle."

The lamp was lit again and I shielded my eyes as he turned it up to full power. When I could see again, I propped myself up on my elbows and glowered at him. He had his back to me and was shifting around for something. It took me a moment to realize that he was shirtless and oblivious to my glare, as he dug through a pile of torn clothing for something to wear. When he turned to face me, he tugged a shirt over his head and stated simply, "we don't have as much time tonight as I would like."

Pushing myself up to a sitting position I murmured, sarcasm coating every word, "and how much would that be?" He turned his back to me again, and with a shrug he spoke to the other bin he was digging through, "more than an hour. It takes time, patients, and constant repetition to perfect an ability. Those are not things that can be taught in an hour."

I raised my brow at him skeptically and then leaned back onto my elbows. Slowly he turned with a small metal box in his hands, and crossing the make shift room to me, he inquired, "what did Julian do with you, besides tell you stories about me?" His lips quirked up in a smile and I pursed my lips in annoyance as I replied, "he didn't-" narrowing my eyes at him for playing me into that situation, I scoot up the mattress and give him room to sit down. It hadn't escaped my attention that he was teasing me every chance he got, and it also did escape my notice that he was probably doing it to lower my guard.

As he sinks down near my feet and holds the box out in front of him for me to look at, I glare at him openly, before glancing down at the contraption in his hands. It's not much, just three metal plates all burned together by a blow torch at the edges, with the top off. I glanced up at him with a raised brow, and he met my stare with the same expression. It sure didn't look like anything special, let alone something that Julian would have used with me. I didn't recall seeing anything like it the training room, or even Julian's room. Eventually I looked back down at the box and stared simply, "it's a box, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"

His lips quirked up in crooked grin, almost like he could sense my frustration, and as he turned the box over in his hands, he replied, "it's a simple contraption, if you can handle it."

I snorted in reproach, my pride momentarily wounded, and before he could say anything else, I snatched the box out of his hands to look it over myself. Without looking up at him, I could tell that he was smirking at me after finding out exactly what buttons to push. I set my jaw tightly, and tried to push my emotions down, there was no use giving him more ammunition.

The box is completely smooth in my hand, the rough edges from the blowtorch have been sanded down, and the corners have been almost rounded. It was completely black of any marks, spare a few dents in the metal that suggested it had come from a scarp pile. I turned it over in my hands, looking for something that set it apart from a piece of junk that Cal had put together last minute, and murmured softly to him, "what does it do?"

Gently, as if not to startle me, he wrapped his hands around mine so that we were both holding the box at the same time. I glanced up at him to meet his eye, and almost smacked the crown of my head against his nose. I was so startled by his sudden proximity, that I froze, tensed and wired, ready for him to do something. We hadn't been this close in weeks, the safe distance we had kept around each other like wolves circling before pouncing, was shattered. For the longest time, I had wished for that distance to vanish, but now that it had, I was terrified of what he or even _I_ would do next. He met my eye cautiously, as if the same thoughts had run through his head, and whispered with breath stolen from my lips which were barely a reach away for him, "the box is used to control an outburst of your ability. It's best if I start here, and test to see your limits."

His voice was soft, and with each word, he expelled a breath that sent a shiver down my spine and chills through my body. I tensed against them, instantly aware of what those chills meant. I had promised myself, and secretly I'd promised Cal, that I would never feel that way again. He was helping me, nothing more, it was a simple trade off. A shard of his freedom back, for a shard of his wisdom.

He pulled away from me, his lips quirking up in smile of sorts as he pulled his hands away from mine, leaving them cold and shaking. My eyes snapped down to the box once more, and I bit my lower lip to try and hide the blush that was slowly rising in my cheeks. He must have known the effect he had on me, there was no other explanation for his sudden change of persona. Before I could meet his eye again, he rose slowly and turning to the lamp again, he whispered, "we'll start simply, I don't expect you to get it the first time, or the time after that."

His words strike a match against my pride once more, and I straighten my shoulders, determined to prove him wrong. He glanced at me over his shoulder and seeing my reaction to his words, he smiles wanly. My back stiffens upon seeing that smile, and I watched as he reached his fingers into the little chamber where the flame of the lamp was, and with the most precise of movements, snuffed it out.

The darkness pressed in on me suddenly and I gasped in shock at the suddenness of it. The darkness was almost complete and I couldn't see Cal in front of me, the thought of what he could be planning turned my stomach into knots as Shade's warnings ran through my head like bees. There was a rustling in front of me as Cal sat down once more and in the darkness I breathed tersely, trying to hide my fear, "is the darkness necessary?"

He was silent for a moment, and then his hands slide over mine once more and he whispered through the dark chasm between us, "your ability should be a part of you, like another piece of your soul. You should feel it, not see it."

I inhaled sharply when his hands heated up against my skin, and slowly the heat depleted as he whispered once more, "if I had my bracelets, I could create a small fire in the box, and sustain it. Once you master consistency, everything else comes easily."

Slowly, my eyes adjusted to the darkness around us, and the dim red light from outside, surrounds us like a bloody cloud. I can see the sharp lines of Cal's features, and when he shifts slightly, a small shaft of red light turns his eyes to burning pools of fire. He was a flame, an ember that sparked something in everyone around him, and he would have been a king that was burned into the books of history for years to come. The memory of everything he had lost because of me made my stomach churn. Those burning pools watched me expectantly, and I swallowed deeply, trying to push the lump in my throat down. The box sat in my hand like a hurdle, tempting me to try and jump over it. Like Cal himself, the box was a cliff with an uncertain drop at the bottom.

Focusing on the box with all my concentration so that I didn't have to think about Cal's close proximity, I willed a bolt of electrify to flow into it. We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us watching the box expectantly. A bead of sweat rolled down from my hairline and a few more rolled down my neck as I concentrated to the point of breaking a blood vessel. No matter how hard I tried though, I couldn't make anything.

A growl escaped my throat as I released all the pressure in my chest, and before I could do anything, Cal snapped his hands away from mine, and I dropped the box in shock, thinking I'd hurt him. I shoved my hand between my knees and stumbled over an apology as tears pricked in my eyes. Even when I wasn't trying to hurt him, I did. I hoped he wasn't hurt, I wasn't sure if I could ever come back if I hurt him.

He laughed at my attempt at an apology and picking the box back up he teased, "you looked concerned for a second there Barrow."

I slowly loosened my shoulders and whispered, "I didn't hurt you?"

"Not even close, I pulled away before I thought you were going to explode." He laughed as he set the box to the side. I wiped the sweat off my brow, a smile of relief creeping to my lips. Glancing at the box near his knee, I felt the prickling of disappointment dancing through my veins, and I hung my head in dejection, so much for learning something during my time with Julian. Softy, Cal cupped my chin and lifted it so that I met his eye. His expression was almost curious as he took in my self-disappointment, and raising his brow skeptically, he offered me a gentle as he he whispered, "it won't come the first time."

I pulled my chin away to avoid his touch, which was making me too comfortable, and murmured, "why not?"

He chuckled at my reaction and then rising, he turned the lamp on once more, the soft light falling around us, bathing us in warmth. "Well, it takes a while to even get something in the box, let alone control it."

"How long did it take you?" I inquired as I rose from the mattress, hoping to pick his mind about his past. There was little I knew about it, except for the sparse details about his mother. His shoulders tensed momentarily, as if he were remembering a painful time, and I almost regretted asking in the first place. Eventually though, he chuckled once more and then glanced at me over his shoulder to reply, "I started when I was four, it took me until I was four and a half to even get a flame started in the box."

A strangled cry of surprise escaped me and I cried in desperation, "you could do it as a four years old—I can't even do it now, and I'm seventeen!"

He passed me with a smile and then lifting the curtain out of his little room, he teased, "consider yourself a four year old in accordance with your abilities."

I scoffed at his dig, but gave him a smile none the less as I passed him. Standing in such close proximity to him made my skin burn and I looked down at my boots as I whispered my thanks. When I glanced back up at him, he was offering me the tender smile that he had given to me in the ballroom so long ago. It made my insides glow, my need to keep a formal distance with him was forgotten in that moment, and I offered him my own tender smile as I slipped out of his hide away.

(/)

A week after I started training with Cal, I decided that it was okay for Maggie to see him. I had been running errands for Farley and had neglected seeing the poor girl, and I felt terrible for doing so, even if it had given me time away from the awestruck expressions of the other civilians. I figured that this new development should be enough to pacify her for a little while and smooth over any hurt feelings she might have about me not visiting. According to Gisa's daily repots from her wanderings through the camp, Maggie was sullen and upset that I wasn't around to talk to her, and apparently one else seemed very keen to be doing so.

It was late at night when I snuck into the civilians camp that housed Maggie. She stayed near the farthest wall, in a shabby tent with her mother who was running some form of apothecary shop. I had leaned that a few days after I met Maggie, when she had pulled me like a horse to water through the camp toward her home. She had pulled me inside the tent, and held things out for me to hold while she shared what little knowledge of her mother's business she understood. It had been entertaining to see her assemble all the makeshift tools that her mother had gifted her with a few weeks ago, and it was even more amusing to watch her try and teach me how to use them.

As I approached my destination, the sent of herbs was bitter in the air as I slipped through the maze of tents, trying to come up with a plan on how to wake Maggie and get her out of the tent before anyone noticed us. Maggie's mother would be home this time, and there was no way I could get into the tent to retrieve the little girl before her mother saw me and questioned what I was doing with her daughter. My oblivious state turned into a problem as I rounded the last corner and slammed into a small form that was standing in the middle of the path. It let out a little squeal of surprise as we tumbled to the stone ground with the force of my body, and I felt two hands grab onto the front of my jacket. I managed to catch myself on a stack of crates and wrap my arm around the child that had latched itself onto me, before we both crashed into the stone ground.

In the darkness it was hard to see who it was, but eventually a tiny voice that was muffled by my stomach murmured, "hi Mare."

I expelled a sigh of relief, that it wasn't some other child who I would have to walk back to his or her tent, and then with a tiny smile I replied, "hello Maggie."

She peeled herself away from me as I straightened out, she glared up at me with a pouting lip that was obvious through her voice as she reprimanded me, "I thought you were dead—I mean I knew you weren't—but you weren't coming anymore, and then I heard about the anibush—"

"ambush," I corrected softly, and then crouched down and setting my hands on her shoulders I whispered guilty, "and I'm sorry for not coming to see you, but I have been doing some very important things."

Her head tilted to the side, and in the dim light, I saw her golden curls tumble over her shoulder with action. She made a noise that was a cross between a huff and a snort, as if she were insulting my _important_ things in her head. I chuckled softly at her reaction, and then inquired softly, "would you like to come meet someone?"

In the darkness, she lit up like a sun at my suggestion. Her head bouncing up and down excitedly as she rose onto her toes. I smiled widely, it had been a long time since I had made anyone so happy, and it was like a ray of sunlight after years of rain.

As we walked through the compound, Maggie brought me up to date on all the gossip that she had been eavesdropping on. From who was apparently seeing who, to who had disappeared on secret missions, she rambled as she danced ahead of me on her toes. Her voice echoed down the hallways, but no one seemed to be around to stop us, so I let her talk. To a common passerby, Maggie didn't appear hindered as one might think, she had the grace of my little sister, and I was slightly envious of her for it. Every so often though, I saw the flashes of her impaired state, when she got too close to a wall and had to catch herself, or when she paused at a crossroads in the hallways and had to wander with her hands in front of her to find the entrance. But she appeared to carry these in stride, never truly faltering, and never pausing while she rambled.

Eventually she fell silent as we approached the stairs that led to the catwalks. When I appeared behind her, I could hear her breaths came in shallowly as she glanced up to the darkness above her head. Slowly, I crouched down to ask her what was wrong, hoping she wasn't getting cold feet now. She grabbed my hand tightly and whispered breathlessly into my ear, "is it really high?"

"it's not that bad Maggie, besides, there's railings to keep you from falling." I replied, it seemed a bit confusing and silly that a blind girl would be afraid of heights. Slowly, I rose from my crouch and stated, "this is the only way in Maggie, I could carry-"

"No," she interrupted quickly and then reaching out with her hands, she touched the the railing and took the first step up. Her hands were shaking as she gripped the railings tightly, and I followed behind her as she took the steps one at a time. A few times she stopped and glanced through the mesh of the stairs as if she could see the drop below us, and then she would shake herself out and continue.

At the top, her hands scrambled left and right to find a railing and as soon as she found one, she gripped it with both hands and walked herself along it. I followed on her right as she sucked in heavy, terrified breaths, trying to offer her reassuring words, but she set her jaw and apparently ignored me. It brought a twist of a smile to my lips to see her so determined to reach Cal. It was slow going though, and I was worried that we would get caught at the doors before we even had a chance to try and get inside. Maggie was oblivious to that of course, and I tried not to hurry her, but it was going to become a problem soon.

Eventually, we reached the doors and I glanced around the corner to see if the guards were there. They were stationed patiently and judging by their stances, the had just started their watch. I expelled a huff of annoyance through my nose and then turned and crouching down in front of Maggie, I set my hands on her shoulders and whispered, "I don't think we can go in Maggie-"

Her empty eyes snapped to meet mine and with a huff of her own, she stated simply, "I'll just tell them to move." She slipped out of my grip before I could stop her and with a few purposefully strides, she stepped in front of the guards. They looked down at her in shock and, I watched in horror as one of them crouched down to eye level with her. He smiled at her and teased, "now how did you get up here?"

"I walked." Maggie replied and the guard let out a laugh and looked at his partner, an older female who smiled lovingly down at Maggie. The first tendrils of confusion set in for me, and the woman crouched down as well and inquired, "would you like someone to walk you back to the camp sweetie?"

"No, I want to see Cal." Maggie crossed her arms and stood up straighter, her body rising to barely four feet. The guard's looks of sympathy melted simultaneously, and then rising the man set his hand on Maggie's shoulder and turned her harshly around to face the way we had come. He gave her a not so gentle nudge and then walking behind her stated, "I don't know how you got here, or how you know who is inside, but you need to go-"

His body tensed up and Maggie flipped around to glare up at him, her eyes shining in the dim light. "I'm not going back until I see Cal."

I watched in rampant horror as he guard stummbled for a second, her partner coming to grab him. She looked at Maggie in shock and shouted, "what are you doing?"

Maggie's head tilted to the side and like the child she was, she commanded, annoyance filling the single syllable, "move."

The woman's body seemed to spasm for a moment and then she grabbed her partner with jerky motions that looked so unnatural it was unsettling. Slowly, they jerked down the catwalk towards the stairs, like puppets with their strings tangled. They passed me with wild motions, the woman's eyes were a blank stare and both of the guards features were like blank stone carvings. The image sent a shiver down my spine, and stirred up a memory that brought bile to my throat.

As soon as they had descend to the first platform, I heard the heavy thump as their bodies collapsed together and hit the metal floor. Sprinting to the stairs, I looked down at them, thinking the bodies would we below us, tangled up in the machinery and wiring, but they were simply laying at the foot of the stairs, like marionettes that had been cut free from their strings. I glanced over my shoulder at Maggie in shock. I had seen someone act like that before, much more fluently of course, but it took seeing a Whisperer's work to recognize it. With a shiver, I whispered to Maggie, "have you always been able to to this?"

The little girl was shivering and with a tiny voice she whispered weakly, "I always can make people do what I want." She rubbed her head after her comment, as if she had a headache. Her skin was pale and papery, as if she were exhausted. Taking a tentative step toward her, I whispered, horrified, "don't do that again, unless you are told."

She glanced up at me, her eyes wide, and I realized belatedly that what Maggie lacked in physical sight, she made up for internally. Glancing behind her at the doors to the boiler room, I turned her toward them and whispered hurriedly, "we better hurry, before someone notices them missing." I pushed her to them, and then nudging her inside, I glanced over my shoulder one more time at the stairs. A shiver of foreboding running down my spine, if Maggie was a Whisperer, but someone like me, how powerful was she?

The boiler rooms were warm and slightly lighter than usual. Maggie stayed pressed to my side, her body shaking in fear at all the new and loud sounds around her. The guards that should have been patrolling overhead were tucked in their usual corner as usual, and if I strained my ears, I could hear the faint sounds of a very competitive card game.

As we rounded the corner of the water heaters, which I had learned about a few days ago, I saw Cal underneath one of them. His tools scattered on the floor and a set of blueprints near his legs. Maggie froze in front of me, and then whispered breathlessly, "it's him, it's him, Mare."

I nodded and then with soft steps, Maggie broke away from me and walked towards Cal. I hadn't told him about Maggie yet, and I belatedly worried if I should have. Before I could try and stop her though, she had crawled underneath the boiler to join him.

There was silence for a second, and then a loud curse word from Cal, followed by a bang as he smacked his head against the machinery again. Maggie scrambled out in terror and ran to me, her hands grabbing my pants as she maneuvered herself behind me. She poked her head around my legs to watch Cal as He pushed himself out and rubbed his head. He glared up at me, and then he frowned in confusion, his eyes slowly seeking out Maggie who immediately hid behind my legs again.

Pushing himself to his feet, he pointed at Maggie and inquired, "why is there-"

"This is Maggie, she's someone like me." I whispered warningly, as I noticed his agitation rising. We had promised to keep our trainings a secret, and for a moment it must have appeared as if I had broken that promise, that or a random Red child had found her way into the boiler rooms, in which case I wasn't sure what Cal would have done. His eyes slowly softened when he saw how young she appeared and tossing the tool he had been holding like a weapon into the box, he grabbed the rag off to the side and began wiping his hands. Maggie poked her head out again, and then glanced up at me this time for permission to approach him. I gave her a tiny nod and she slipped out from behind my legs and took a few steps to close the distance between herself and Cal. He watched her warily out of the corner of his eye and whispered, "I don't believe we've been acquainted… Maggie?"

She nodded solemnly, and then hastily, she gave him a curtsey that looked vaguely like she was trying to catch herself from falling over. I stifled a laugh as she rose and tucked her hands in front of her. Cal raised a brow at her and then looked at me skeptically, as if I had something to do with all this. I gave him a shrug and tried not to laugh at the look of confusion on his face. He glanced down at Maggie, who raised her head to meet his eye. She narrowed her own eyes in confusion and then stated bluntly, "you're taller than I thought you'd be. You're taller than Mare."

I couldn't hold in the laugh this time, and as it escaped Cal looked over at me in desperation, as if he were asking me for help in the situation. After realizing that he wasn't going to get any help from me, Cal cleared his throat and replied, "yes, I believe I am taller than Mare."

Maggie seemed to grow solemn once more and then reached out and took Cal's hand, her voice soft as she whispered, "you're so sad."

My laugh died out as I heard her comment, and I watched in surprise as Maggie threw her arms around Cal's legs and stated simply, "it wasn't your fault Cal."

The tension in Cal's body multiplied ten-fold as Maggie squeezed his legs tightly, his face twisted into what looked like a grimace, and he tried to pry Maggie off of him. She was a stubborn creature though and as he tired to pry her off, she hugged him tighter and shouted, "you shouldn't be sad anymore Cal!"

By that time I had already closed the distance as well, and I watched in terror as Cal tripped while he tired to pull away from the little girl clutching his legs. I leaped out to try and grab his hand, but as I wrapped my fingers around his wrist, his larger size pulled me with him to the floor. I tried to maneuver in the air and avoid Maggie, but the tiny girl had vanished from around Cal's legs, and I ended up landing on top of Cal. I caught myself with a hand next to his head, and he managed to catch my middle. My nose was right on top of his, and his eyes widened as mine met his. This close in the light, I could see all the weeks of strenuous work in the lines of his face and the dark circles under his eyes. His shirt was rough under one of my hands and he still smelled like burning wood, even though he had been underneath oily boilers all day. HIs eyes mirrored the same surprise I was feeling, but in their depths, I saw a few flecks of what looked like gold around his pupil. I had never truly noticed them before, but they made the amber brown color of his eyes almost brighter. They flashed in the light and I wondered how I had never seen them.

Pulling my gaze away from him features to glance away and break the awkward stare we were holding, I saw Maggie sitting cross legged next to us, her eyes taking us both in at the same time it seemed. She titled her head to the side for a second, as if she were assessing something about our position, but the barest of smiles was dancing on her lips, as if this had been her plan all along. Cal followed my eyes to look at her as well, his mouth gapping open and closed like a fish as he tried to make sense of the situation himself. Eventually Maggie smiled at him fully and inquired, "are you happy now? The boys in the camp always say they are happier when a girl is on top of them."

Cal let out a cry of shock and I pushed away from him as Maggie's words sank in, but as he sat up at the same time, I ended up sliding down to sit in his lap. The two of us met eyes again, and scrambled away from each other in embarrassment. He ran his fingers through his hair, stuttering over his words as he blushed a pale white from his neck to the tips of his ears. I turned away and tired to stifle my own embaressement, which must had manifested as a blush as well. Maggie's head snapped left and right as she glanced from one of us to the other, her voice confused as she inquired, "what happened?"

I glared at Maggie and snapped at her, "is this why you wanted to see him, so that you could embarrass the two of us?"

Her eyes widened and welled up with tears at my harsh tone, but she shook her head and tried to hide her tears behind her hands. The angry bubble in my chest popped and I reached out tentatively to apologize. She peeked at me through a crack in her fingers and I saw that she was not crying completely yet. When my hand rested on her shoulder, she sniffled as she wiped her eyes again, and then glancing at Cal she whispered, "I have to tell you something important."

He was still sitting across from us still, his eyes watching us both tentatively, as if Maggie might set up a situation again, but he nodded at her. Seeing his confirmation, Maggie slid out of my grip and crawled across the floor to sit in front of Cal. She took his hands tightly in her own and then whispered, "do not be sad, many challenges are ahead of you, I saw a lot of pain, but also a lot of triumph," she closed her eyes softly and then whispered, "you will be triumphant someday, but only if you learn to accept what has changed you. You can not pass through the obstacles without changing yourself first."

Cal's eyes widened and snapped to me over Maggie's shoulder, his mouth hanging open in shock. I looked at Maggie in confusion as well though, she hadn't mentioned anything like this to me before, mostly she just warned me that she thought something was coming, this sounded more like something she was certain about. Her words were almost archaic, ancient, as if they were bubbling up from deep inside her soul. She looked past Cal's shoulder for a moment and then, as if she were coming out of deep sleep, Maggie's eyes fluttered open and she smiled brightly up at Cal, who looked more confused than before.

Cal brought us to his sleeping area, where he had been training me for the past week, and Maggie seemed more than happy to invade both his personal and living space. Her hands touching everything in the bins, from the tools to the clothes that he had been given, and her bubbly, lively voice asked him what everything was as she ran her hands along it. She especially liked a wrench of sorts, which she had pulled from one of the bins and refused to give back, even when she sat down with it and ran her fingers over the length of the tool, a whimsical smile on her face. Cal watched her carefully, and snatching things out of her hand that could have been dangerous, he placed them higher up so that she couldn't reach them. It was amusing to watch him run around after her, and after she had discovered the wrench, she calmed down enough for him to sit her down on a pile of rotting blankets that she snuggled into.

As he straightened up I whispered softy, "I'm sorry, I had no idea she would-"

He shook his head for a second at Maggie's muttered comments that were barely audible, and then turning to face me he inquired, "is she always like this?"

"always," I assured with a sigh before sinking down onto the mattress that I normally occupied. He sank down next to me, our shoulders barely touching, but I could still feel the heat that rolled off of him. We didn't make eye contact, even when I shifted to get more comfortable and rubbed against his arm. We sat in silence, broken only by Maggie's mumbling, until Cal whispered, "what is she?"

"A Whisperer," I murmured softly, the word almost a curse as it slipped by my lips. Cal tensed against it and I continued, "she can't control it, but the things she sees, I don't know what they mean-"

Cal set his hand on my wrist and squeezing tightly he murmured, "she might be a Seer." His words were like an attempt at calming both of us. I glared at him for trying to misdirect us to sooth both of our worries, and argued stubbornly, "I saw her force two guards to walk away from the door Cal, it was just like Elar-" I froze and didn't continue. Cal's face was tight, and in the light from the lantern, I could see his jaw tightening as his teeth ground together. I had learned not to mention Elara at any point, if Maven's name set Cal on the edge, then Elara's sent him over the edge.

He grabbed the box next to the bed and murmured hurriedly, as if he were trying to escape the idea of Maggie's ability, "we don't have to talk about it right now," his eyes were far away and I had a feeling that he wasn't focusing on what was happening here right now, his thoughts were far away in the future, where Maggie's supposed obstacles were waiting. When he turned around with the box, I slipped my hand underneath his took the box from him, watching his face curiously, but there was no change. I let out a sigh and then scooting away from him, to give myself space, I sat cross legged with the box in my hands. Maggie glanced up to watch me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she leaned forward to see what I was holding. Glaring down at the box, I tried to focus on channeling my abilities, but all I could think about was how tense Cal had been when I mentioned Maggie's ability. I forced it out of my mind, I had to do this, I had to get control. Cal got up and went to clean up the mess Maggie had made, leaving me alone on the mattress, and I was grateful for his absence. Cal's presence was stirring feelings again that were not a smart thing for me to feel again, and I was confused enough already.

Reaching for the inner calm Cal had spoken of last time, I searched aimlessly, hoping it would come to me. After a few seconds, I felt heated tears rolling down my cheeks, the frustration of the past months building to a climax as I realized that I was dragging Cal down a path he didn't want to go down. I'd pulled him into this and now I was forced to drag him behind me, forcing him along even thought he tried to run. A hot tear hit the metal of the box and slid down to my thumb, and more soon followed it.

I squeezed my eyes shut and willed the tears to stop, but in my mind's eye, I saw Maven clearly, I saw the nightmares again, I saw Cal suffering and me standing by helplessly, and I saw Elara cornering Maggie, her shadow stretching over Maggie terrified face. Suddenly, those thoughts vanished and I was in the boiler room again, watching Cal work. He glanced at me, a tired smile on his features, before he turned back to his work. I saw him watching me work with the box, his eyes expectant and pleased at the same time as I managed to create an array of sparks around the box, and I saw him watching me sadly as I walked down the aisle to the stairs out of the boiler room.

My eyes snapped open, and I saw Maggie in front of me, her fingers spread on my temples and her eyes filled with concern. Cal was behind her, his hand on her shoulder as he watched me with the same amount of concern as Maggie. Slowly Maggie lowered her hands and whispered, "you were crying, so I-I tried to stop you."

My cheeks were soaking wet and slowly, I reached up and wiped them with the palm of my hand. Maggie sank down on to her heels and tucking her hands in her lap again, she whispered to me, "you and Cal need to talk Mare."

I glanced at Cal over her shoulder who squeezed Maggie's shoulder and then whispered something in her ear. She nodded to him and then giving me a weak smile, she slid back to her pile of blankets and sat down to watch us. Cal took the box from my hands and inquired softly, "what's wrong Mare?"

"Nothing, I just can't get the stupid thing to work," I lied as I wiped at my eyes. Cal raised a brow skeptically and then questioned me once more, "I want to help you Mare, but you have to find peace within yourself, before you can bring peace to others."

I lowered my chin to my chest, new tears falling as his words soothed the wounds that had been opened once more. Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around me and brought me to his chest, his grip tight as he whispered into my hair, "I'm so sorry Mare, you've been through something that I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"I'm a monster, Cal," my words were whispered to his shoulder as curled up agains him and buried my face deeper into the fabric of his shirt. He tensed at my analysis and then peeling me off of him, he narrowed his eyes at me. I hiccuped when I saw his expression, my sobs consolidating into small spasms as I saw that my comment was not welcome in his eyes. He wiped my eyes with his thumb and then growled, "don't ever say that."

"the ball—the kids—everyone who died—" I chocked as I tried to put all my words in one place at the same time. His eyes softened upon seeing my struggle and pulling me close to him again, Cal murmured, "you're not a monster Mare. A monster doesn't feel guilt."

I hiccuped again, suddenly aware of the fact that I was making a fool of myself in his presence again, but this time, it felt different. I didn't feel like I was giving him my weaknesses, I felt like some part of me had been healed, like the demons at my heels had been quieted for a moment. I felt the warmth from Cal's hand against my back, and it was oddly soothing considering how I wasn't supposed to trust him, in the moment though, I couldn't help how I felt. I swallowed another sob and whispered into his shirt again, "thank you, Cal, thank you for everything."

He nodded softly, his hair tickling my forehead and reminding me that this was real, that this moment was really happening. After a few seconds, another warm body wiggled into our embrace, and Maggie whispered into Cal's stomach, "you're really warm."

He laughed softly, and I managed a weak smile, as one of his arms slid around Maggie as he teased, "that would be why I'm a burner."

She smiled up at him and then snuggled into his embrace and closed her eyes. The silence around us settled in once more, but Maggie's comment about his ability reminded me of the heavy metal pieces I was carrying in my pocket. I had brought them to every meeting, but I was too afraid that if I gave them to him, he would leave. Now though, I wasn't so sure if he was thinking about that anymore.

Glancing up at him, I saw his eyes watching Maggie tenderly, it was the kind of look that I had seen on Maven when he had been playing the Silver children in the street. I couldn't believe that I had thought Cal could never be like that, he'd taken to Maggie like she was his little sister, and it appeared as if Maggie had done the same with him. The thought that Cal had someone so innocent to trust him made my hand slip into my jacket. He glanced down at me as if sensing my eyes, and looking down at my closed fist I whispered to Cal, "I have something for you."

I held out my hand tentatively, his bracelets shinning dully in the light. His eyes widened upon seeing them and looking at me curiously he inquired, "you trust me enough to give them back?"

"Well, you haven't exactly tried to do anything that would make me not want to." I replied, gesturing with my head for him to take them. He slid his arm from around Maggie and took them in his hand, and I watched, a bubble of happiness building in my chest as he slid them on. As soon as the metal had settled around his wrists, his whole body seemed to release, as if a great weight had been lifted off of him. I gave him a small smile and then whispered, "now you can show me how to put the fire in the box."

He gave me a mischievous grin and whispered, "if only that were possible," my brows shot up in surprise as he continued, "it's a physical impossibility, I just wanted to see how long it took you to trust me, and if you would actually stick to your word and give me my bracelets."

"You manipulative little sh-" I began, only for him to shush me with that same mischievous grin and tease, "now be careful, there's a small child present." As if on cue, Maggie shifted in his arms and murmured in her sleep. I glared up at him and with a wink that reminded me an awful lot of Shade, he whispered, "now, is when I actually start training you."


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

" _Cal_ , Mare's going to fall again!" Maggie's shrill, disinterested cry echoed around the boiler room, her voice stretching out the syllable in Cal's name. She was sitting underneath me, her neck craned upward to watch me try and pull myself up one more time. The bar I was gripping was slick with sweat and my fingers were slipping steadily, even though my knuckles were turning white while I gripped it. My arms shook with exertion, and my core was on fire from curling my body around the bar when I pulled myself up.

"One...more," I grunted as I weakly tried to pull my chin over the bar. Maggie sighed, exasperated, below me and shouted to Cal again, "she's going to break her neck!"

My chin barely made it to the bar, and I craned it slowly to try and put it above the bar only for my fingers to slip from around the bar completely. I screamed in fear as I fell the eight feet to the makeshift mat on the floor. I landed in the dusty and rotting blankets, stirring up dust mots everywhere. I coughed as some of them entered my throat and waving my hand around my face to try and brush the rest away, I managed to direct a few of them into my eyes. Next to me, Maggie stated simply, "that was two more than yesterday, not that those two weren't impressive."

I opened my watering eyes to glare at her, and was rewarded for my troubles with a smile that could have melted the ice around even Elara's heart. I blew a strand of hair out of my eyes and then bushed the rest of the sweaty strands away, before I stumbled out of my saving grace and brushed myself off.

Coming around the corner belatedly, like he normally did, was Cal. Wiping his hands on a new rag that I had brought him, he took in Maggie's giggling state and then looked at me, his eyes widened and he bit his lip to stifle what looked a lot like a laugh.

"What?" I commanded, my eyes scanning myself for anything that was remotely funny. He walked over and handed me the rag to wipe myself off. "It's nothing, you just, you just have something on your face."

I snatched the rag from him and wiping it across my face, I pulled it away to reveal a heavy dusting of white powder and what looked like bug legs. I screeched and threw the rag on the ground which only made Maggie laugh harder, and Cal snicker. I glared at the both of them and then shouted, "that's not funny at all you two, stop laughing."

Maggie rocked back and forth in her sitting position, her giggles turning into snorts. Cal's eye snapped to her and I paused from reprimanding him for coming too late, to stare at her. She shoved her fist in her mouth but the sound wouldn't stop, and it only became louder as she tried to breathe. Eventually she burst out laughing at her own laugh and the snorts turned into desperate cries as she tried to catch her breath. Eventually her giggles subsided and looking from me to Cal as she inquired, "what? It's just a laugh."

We shared a confused look and when I turned back around to look at her, she was running off to get the next step in my training. I groaned as she brought the makeshift weight vest around the corner. I took it in my already shaking arms and with Cal's help, shouldered it. Coming in at a good twenty pounds, the vest had become the bane of my existence and was similar to hell. Wrapping the string around my middle, Cal stated casually, "a good mile run should be good today."

"We ran two yesterday, going soft on me today?" I teased him as he wrapped around to the front of me and yanked the cord so tight that it pulled me a little closer to him. He smiled down at me and whispered, "I can always make you run until your legs give out from underneath you."

My face grew bright red, and I mumbled, "that's hardly necessary." The space between us was filled with heat and with a cheeky grin that was starting to appear more and more on his features, Cal stepped back and stated, "fine, a mile, and three tomorrow to make up for today."

My jaw dropped open and gesturing to the vest I choked, "with this piece of hell strapped to me?"

"Piece of hell," Cal gasped as he put a hand to his heart as if I had wounded him, "hardly a fitting term for this crown jewel." He swept his hand, gesturing to the make shift equipment around us. I raised my brow and then murmured, "yeah sure," then raising my voice to a more audible volume I continued, "and how does this actually help me?"

Maggie trotted by, carrying a metal pole in her arm that banged against the floor with a heavy clang since it was much to heavy for her weak arms. She looked at me questionably as she passed Cal, who caught her shoulder slid the pole of out her arms, while she lectured, "you have to have stamina before you can have consistency. Consistency comes from-"

"The blood and sweat you put in, yes thank you, Maggie," I interrupt, my eyes rolling at her attempt to mimic Cal. He ruffled her hair as he walked around her to stab the pole into the ground and replied to me, "she's right Mare."

I snorted and with a glare in his direction, I tried to burn a hole in his back. Maggie had joined in cohorts with Cal the minute she learned that I was going to be starting serious training. She followed him around like a little puppy on a leash, carrying things for him, repeating everything he said to me, and sometimes even running next to us, cheering me on. As cute as she could be, hearing her repeat everything Cal said got rather annoying after the first ten minters of training. Most of the time though, she hung around Cal trying to get him to show her tricks with his ability. The last time I had caught the two of them, he had managed to contort a flame into a rabbit that hopped around Maggie's feet for a few seconds before dissolving. He'd looked s content in that moment that I wasn't sure whether or not to interrupt, but he had caught sight of my outline and immediately wiped all traces of the emotion from his features.

Straightening up from a slight stretch, Cal reached his arms above his head and said, "alright, I think that was enough time for you to prepare for this."

I uncrossed my arms, my stomach plummeting as I realized he was serious, while teasing to hide the fact that I was considering leaving the boiler room at that very moment, "running today, or watching?"

He gave me a coy smile and replied, "running, I can't exactly let you get better while I get out of shape." Maggie giggled at his words, and I rolled my eyes to hide the smile that was threatening to make an appearance as well.

"Twelve times around the pole!" Maggie shouted cheerful, as she clambered on top of the box that she normally occupied while we did this. Cal winked at her, and then stepping aside to give me room next to him, he started off at a slow jog. I sprinted to catch up to him and managed to get neck and neck with him as we rounded the first set of water heaters.

I carried a tired Maggie on my back almost an hour later, her head lolling to the side as she mumbled the soft words of a long ago lullaby into my hair. She yawned and then rubbing one of eyes she inquired softly, "Mare, how come Cal has to stay in the boiler room?"

Tensing slightly, I craned my neck and whispered to her, "because, well, because Farley decided he should stay there."

Even without looking at her, I could tell that Maggie was unsettled by that aspect. She wrapped her arms a little tighter around my neck and fell silent, and the emptiness of her silence was excruciating, as if she were ponding the meaning of life on a unimaginable scale. Maggie seemed to drop into that mode often, as if her young mind were working at a thousand miles per hour to solve the puzzle of the universe. It was both mesmerizing and terrifying, because there was no telling whether or not she was coming up with a brilliant plan for mass mayhem, or was actually contemplating the mayhem from that day.

"It's because he's Silver, right?" She whispered, her voice a hollow whine as she squeezed my neck with her arms. I sighed heavily, I supposed it was too much to hope that Maggie wouldn't put two and two together. Nodding tenuously, I crouched down and Maggie slid off my back as we reached the entrance to her camp. She took a few tired steps toward the doorway, and then holding the door frame, she glanced over her shoulder at me and inquired, "do you think he should stay in there Mare?"

If there was one other thing Maggie was good at, it was putting me on the spot to answer a difficult question. Turning my gaze away so that I don't have to look at her while I respond, I sigh again. "I don't know Maggie, it might be safer for him to stay there."

"Because people will hurt him, like they hurt us. We really aren't that different from them are we Mare?" She inquired, her gaze turning ancient as she gazed at the wall to her right. Glancing at her, I couldn't bring myself to answer. We really weren't that different, we loved each other, we betrayed each other for our own ends, and we would go to the ends of this earth for what we thought was right. Maybe I had misjudged myself, maybe I hadn't become more like a Silver, maybe, hey had appeared to be more like _me._

Nodding silently to herself, Maggie ducked into the darkness and I watched her platinum colored curls vanish into the darkness. As soon as I couldn't see her anymore, I turned completely, and began my journey back to my rooms. The hallways were lit brightly, and a smile tugged at my lips as I realized that Cal must have finished with the boilers completely. As that dawned on me though, I froze in the middle of the hallway; if Cal was done with the boilers, what was stopping Farley from putting him up against a wall and putting a firing squad behind him? My blood ran cold, and my eyes widened in terror as I heard an echo of Lucas' scream as the guns rang like dooms day bells in my head.

"Barrow, you're up late." Whispered the devil of my musings behind me. I flipped around to see Farley standing at the end of the hallway, her usual entire was replaced with a simple cotton shirt, trousers, and a pair of worn boots that had seen better days years ago. Her short cropped hair look freshly cut, and her skin looked more tallow than the last time I had seen her. She frowned when she saw my expression and then with a raised brow, she inquired, "are you feeling well, you look pale."

Nodding tightly, I turned to flee the scene only for her to cross the hallway and grab my arm with a vice like grip. I flinched away but she lowered her head to mine and whispered tightly, "I've been meaning to speak with you actually," she took a deep breath, and then with a tired sigh continued, "I haven't told anyone in your family yet. Shade, he-he hasn't checked in recently, and we can't hail the group he's with."

My chest constricted tightly, and with a voice that was raised with fear I whispered, "have we sent anyone out to meet them?"

"I can't spare anyone else Barrow, we're too tight on resources already." Farley warned, her eyes turning downcast as she ran her hand up to my shoulder and squeezed gently, as if she were trying to reassure me. She walked past me, but I was frozen, mind rushing a thousand miles per hour. For a moment, I felt the surge of energy inside of my body, like every nerve ending was set on fire. Hot tears started to spill down my cheeks again, and my stomach turned so sharply that I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. I sank against the wall, and sliding down to my knees, I leaned my temple against the cool stone of the wall trying to remain anchored to reality.

Slowly, I realized that I was alone in the hallway, breathing heavily, with rivers of sweat running down from my hairline. My hand was clutched at my throat as if I could claw out the lump of agony that had lodged itself there. I could feel my lower lip quivering as I tried to push past the knife in my chest and breathe again. Shade couldn't be gone, not after I had just gotten him back. As I sat imagining what horrible things Evangeline and Ptolemus could do to him, I rose to my feet, and started in a haphazard direction.

Before I could even register where I was going, I found myself before the boiler room doors. My hands shook as I glanced around for the guards who were nonexistent. The guards never changed shifts twice in a row like this, surely I hadn't been sitting in that hallway for three hours. My foggy mind barely registered my hand reaching out and throwing the door to the boiler room open, nor did it hear when the door banged against the wall with enough force to almost tear it off it's hinges. I stumbled blindly forward and down the stairs, my eyes welling up with tears again, obscuring my vision even further. I knew the path like the back of my hand though, and I hurtled through the rows of machinery, my chest rising raggedly as I approached the small alcove in the back.

I stumbled through the curtain without even so much as a cry to alert Cal of my presence. He snapped awake though as soon as I passed into the small space, one of his hands clutching a small shard of metal like a knife, and his other hand alive with fire. His eyes were still bleary though, and in the semi-darkness it took him a moment to register who I was.

"Mare?" He murmured questionably, his voice heavy with sleep as he dropped the shard of metal and let the fire extinguish itself. I fell to my knees in front of him, not sure of why I had even come, let alone why I was letting him see me so weak. I hiccuped for a moment, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I chocked, "Shade, he's been-he's been captured, and-and Farley thinks he's dead... and I-I can't lose him again!"

Cal frowned for a moment, and I wondered if he had been able to discern anything from my garbled speech. To my surprise though, he slowly reached out and set a warm hand on my shoulder, his eyes like soft fire in the night. "Why are you telling me?"

"I-I-" I chocked again, my words tripping over each other in my mind as I tried to figure out the answer to his question myself. Why had I gone to Cal? Surely he could have cared less about the man who had beaten him to get answers.

My stomach clenched then, because I remembered that Cal had possibly forgiven me, that he had forgiven Maven to an extent, and I knew what I was about to ask him would be too much, it would be too much to ask him to forgive one more person. My lip quivered again, and I barley managed in a chocked whisper, "please, I need your help. I-I have to get him back Cal."

His eyes widened suddenly and he made a noise that sounded vaguely like surprise, but he didn't responded. He watched me with a strange mixture of surprise and horror, his jaw hanging slack slightly, and his cheeks paling. He looked like he had seen a ghost and I watched in terror as the scene on the bridge played behind his eyes. Eventually, he lowered his eyes and exhaled heavily, his grip on my shoulder slipping until his hand was back in his lap. I felt the breath hitch in my throat as he whispered softly to himself, "I'm going to regret this, I know it."

With that, he shoved the blankets back and climbed to his feet with a determination that I hadn't seen from him since the arena, maybe even before that. He grabbed the nearest shirt and shrugging it on he inquired, "how long has he been gone?"

Mentally I counted backwards, a couple days, no, he had to have been gone longer than that. My voice quivered when I spoke, but I was recovering quickly, as Cal's determination began to feed mine. "A few weeks, but he was supposed to be on radio silence unless spoken to directly."

"When was the last time he responded?" Cal murmured as he sat down heavily on the mattress and began to lace up the worn boots he had been given. His fingers moved with a grace that entranced me, they moved like a pianists would, dancing across the keys like they had a mind of their own. Cal glanced at me, his gaze like steel as he growled softly, "of course you don't know the answer to that."

He finished lacing his boots and once he was on his feet, he grabbed my arm and hauled me up. I stumbled for a second and then stuttered, "I-I didn't ask Farley, she just told me-"

Cal sighed, his jaw tightened though, as he gripped my arm tighter. He turned to face me full on, and with a voice like steel he ordered, "if we get there, and he's dead, you have to promise me that you won't go out trying to kill whoever killed him, I won't be able to protect you in a full legion camp."

My stomach churned again, he was going to do this, he was really going to help me rescue Shade. Once more, I was blown away by Cal, by his ability to forgive, although I wasn't sure if he was doing this because I asked, or if it was because I had come to him like a dying animal in need of being shot. With a tight throat though, I nodded and lowered my eyes from his gaze respectfully. His grip vanished at that, and he started out of the tent. I leaped after him, my steps quick to keep time with his strides, and as we walk side by side I whispered to his shoulder, "thank you, thank you, Cal."

He didn't make any sign that he had heard me.

There were three hangers in the compound, two of which housed civilians, and one of which was the main military operating room. It housed hundred of stolen trucks, weapons, and anything that would be needed in a raid. Huddling on a ledge above it all with Cal, I finally realized how massive the Scarlet Guard's infantry was, Cal had apparently realized too, because as soon as he saw it, I heard him gasp in surprise. Looking over the massive size of the cavern, I realized what an impressive sight it was. Almost like a shadow next to me, Cal whispered, "if she could just train them, they could actually be a force to be reckoned with."

I didn't need to ask to know he was talking about Farley. With a tight smile, I nudged his shoulder and replied, "still think we're just a group of idealists and terrorists?"

He blinked at the sight before him for a few seconds more, and I watched his lips draw into a tight line before he whispered sternly, "a few guns don't make you a fighting force."

With a snort at his reaction, I turned my gaze back to the hanger and watched a patrol of seven guards as they marched through. Cal let out a huff of disinterest next to me and then sank down so that he was leaning his back against the stone wall. I crouched down next to him and watched as his eyes closed, a few seconds later he inquired, "so what's your plan?"

" _My_ plan? I was going to follow _your_ plan." I argued, my frustration mounting already. We were wasting time with think up a plan, we just needed a truck to get us out of the hanger, which shouldn't be to hard to steal. We didn't need a grande scheme.

His eyes snapped to mine, and I saw the fury in their depths as he hissed, "you don't have a _plan_?"

"Well _you're the supreme general_ , I just assumed _you_ would come up with one!" I replied with the same tone, my words biting and drawing blood from what I could see. His eyes narrowed the slightest bit and he hissed under his breath, "oh course, trust me to always come up with all the plans, I suppose I'll have to figure out a way to fly without wings next."

He pushed himself up once more and glanced over the lip of the ledge, his eye scanning the ground below us. Eventually he pulled me up next to him and hissed in my ear, "alright, here's how this is going to work. You are going to go down and pick a truck, I am going to follow you a couple row over, when you find one, rev the engine and I'll come."

I opened my mouth to state that I had no idea what he was talking about, but before I could say anything, he had lifted me over the lip and into the small space that housed a rusted ladder we had used to achieve out vantage point in the first place. I barely managed to grab on before he let go of me. I glared up at him and he waved me on, his eyes betraying the actual worry he felt. My boots slipped on the second rung as I made my way down and I ended up having to let go of the ladder and fall the next three feet to the floor. I heard Cal let out a gasp of worry, but when I landed on my feet, I glared up at him and with a mischievous smile, winked and ran off. For a moment, I recognized that he had panicked about me falling, but I dismissed his reaction as him panicking about us getting caught.

I slipped down the front most row of trucks and ran along them, counting to ten before I picked one. I yanked open the door and scrambled up the step into the drivers seat. I closed the door quietly, and glance around at all the gauges and parts that I had no knowledge of in the slightest. My hands shook as I felt around for the keys, and as I flipped the tab above my head down, a small metal object landed in my lap. I grabbed it quickly and let out a soft cry of triumph before glancing back at the wheel in front of me. My heart sank instantly though as I took in the spectacle before me. Where did the stupid thing even go?

I felt along the wheel until I found a small hole, and letting out a sigh of relief, I jammed the key in and turned it. The engine roared to life and distinctly, I heard the cries of the guards as they heard the sound also. I cursed in distress and looked around for whatever made the engine "rev". The door on the other side of the car was yanked open before I could though, and I saw Cal throw himself in as a bullet shattered the glass of the window. I let out a cry of fear and he screamed at me over the sound of gun fire, "go, for God's sake Mare, GO!"

I cried out in distress as I shouted, "I don't know how!" I glared at him then, and saw the realization that washed across his features. He scrambled up and grabbing my shoulder shouted, "move then, I'll drive!"

I cried out as he shoved me into the passenger seat and climbed over me. He settled into the drivers seat and grabbing the lever on his right, yanked it back and slammed his foot down. I barely had time to close the door before the truck took off at full speed. The tires screamed against the asphalt of the hanger bay, and I stuck my arm out to catch myself against the dashboard, my eyes widening as I watched Cal glance over his shoulder at the soldiers behind us. He turned right sharply and entered the narrow tunnel that led to the discrete exit out of the compound, his grip on the wheel turning his knuckles white and his eyes staring straight ahead without actually seeing. I glanced in the side mirror as Cal hurtled around a corner and inquired over the rush of wind from the bullet shattered window, "we can probably slow down right? They're not following us."

"We were in a hanger full of trucks that I'm sure are perfectly operational, do you _honestly_ think they would follow us on foot?" He replied dryly, his eyes rolling to glare at me. I furrowed my brow and with a stern voice hissed, "well pardon me for not knowing what the plan is-"

"Oh no, you are not allowed to throw this on me!" He argued hysterically, one of his hands reaching across me to grab the belt hanging there, "and put the stupid belt on, I can't have you flying through the windshield and not giving me a way back into this place." Yanking it from his grip, I grumbled about seat belts in general, and buckled myself in.

As we approached the main entrance and exit out of the compound, a sharp screeching sound rose up, and Cal's grip on the wheel became so tight, I thought he might break his knuckles. Following his eyes, I realized belatedly why the guards hadn't followed us. I had been under the impression from the beginning that the main doors couldn't close, they were supposedly hidden well enough that it wouldn't be required to shut them, but here they were, closing. The faint light from the moon outside made the dull metal shine as it slowly descend and began to block our exit. Before I could even process all that, Cal began cursing in languages that I didn't even know existed, his eyes flew from left to right as he tried to formulate some sort of plan. Eventually, he whispered softly, "tell me you have the seatbelt on."

I nodded tightly and he growled under his breath, "good cause this is going to be tight Barrow."

He pushed the trucker harder and I heard the engine give a sort of groan as he did so. Swallowing past my tight throat I groaned, "please don't tell me you're actually going-"

"Through with this? We're going a little too fast for me to stop at this point, might as well go big or die trying." He interrupted, his lips turning up in what could have been a smile, but it looked a little more like a grimace. I grabbed onto his arm and shouted, "you're going to kill us!"

He didn't even glance at me as he replied with a laugh, "just remember it was your idea Barrow to break out and save your brother."

My stomach turned as I looked forward again and saw the rapidly approaching entrance and the rapid descending door. A whole 300 pounds of steel that would surely give with its own weight and smash through the cabin of the truck completely. I shut my eyes tightly and gripped Cal's arm like it was a life raft and I'd been sent adrift. Underneath my grip, I could feel how tense he was, and just knowing that, gave me proof that it was okay for me to be seriously worried about whether or not we would make it out of this.

The wheels scraped against gravel, and I opened my eyes wide, knowing we were only a few feet from the door. I saw with complete clarity then the dull glint of the metal as it passed overhead, and heard the scrape of metal on metal as the door cut across the top of the truck. A few seconds later, the tires scrapped against the gravel of the road and Cal jerked the wheel to the side to try and assist us in stopping. Unceremoniously, the truck ground to a halt, and I ended up splayed over Cal's side as it almost tipped onto its side. We both watched the door to the compound bang closed a heartbeat later, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. Eventually, Cal whispered softly, "you can stop gripping my arm now, we made it."

I glanced down at my hands which were wrapped around his arm so tightly that my knuckles were as white as his. I could feel the heat rolling off of him, and with a pang of surprise I realized how close we were. Although the seat belt had held me, I had still managed to slip out of it enough to almost end up in Cal's lap. I yanked myself away from him then, muttering an apology as I ran my fingers through my hair trying to push it out of my eyes.

He straightened his shirt also, clearing his throat as I turned away to hide my embarrassment. We sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat once more, a little louder this time though, to fill the silence. "We, we should probably get going before they open the door and come after us."

I nodded weakly, not really paying attention as he turned the truck towards the road and based it enough to slam me into my seat once more.

It was deathly silent in the truck, and every so often, I could feel Cal's gaze. Like a burning light, it seared through the air and set me on fire. I wasn't sure if it was comforting gaze, or murderous. We didn't speak about the escape, but in the silence I heard an almost subtle promise. He would help me, take me and Shade back, dump us in front of the compound, and then run off and hide under a rock until he could muster some force to take back the crown. As much as I hated that idea, I knew it was better than the one I had.

After almost an hour of the terse silence between us, Cal sighed softly and whispered, "we actually need a plan this time. We can't go running into the camp and expect to get out safe, these soldier will definitely not miss when they start shooting."

I glanced at him and watched the planes of his face for a moment. The moonlight softened the color of his eyes slightly, and I could see the barest flecks of gold in them that I had noticed a few weeks ago. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his brow raised as if asking if I were listening to him. I quickly looked away and murmured, "I'm not good at coming up with plans, let alone executing them."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his lips curl up in a slight smile as he shrugged. "Understandable, next time you come running to me though, actually have some semblance of what you want to accomplish."

I laughed softly, trying to ignore the silence after his words. We drove in silence for a little bit longer, and I watched the dirt road that stretched out for miles into the dense wood on either side. The moonlight broke through the thinner branches and sent the shadows of the trees across the road, and as I watched the shadows pass over the skin of my arm, I heard a soft rustling in the back of the truck.

My head snapped up, and I grabbed Cal's shoulder softly as I craned my neck to see through the tiny open door that allowed messages to be passed from the truck bed to the cabin. The rustling came again, this time a little closer, and I felt Cal tense under my arm. Before I could grab something at my feet to brandish as a weapon, a set of blonde curls appeared, followed by a pair of haunting pale eyes.

"Are we there yet? It's bumpy back here!"

Cal slammed his foot on the brake, and I barely had time to catch myself on the dashboard. The seatbelt cut into my neck as I fell forward and I heard Maggie scream as she tumbled to the floor of the truck bed. Cal kicked his door open after slamming the lever next to him up, and I watched as he slammed the door closed and paced to the back of the truck. I fumbled with the seatbelt for a moment after that, and then managed to tumble out of the car after him.

At the back of the truck, Cal yanked open the door, and we both looked in to see Maggie sitting cross-legged, watching us with a mischievous smile. She waved at us and then inquired, "where are we going exactly?"

" _We_?" Cal cried exasperated, I could see how pale his face was in the moonlight from his surprise, and I watched as he struggled to choke out, "there is no _we_ , there is me and Mare, but you were defiantly not supposed to be a part of it."

Maggie's brow raised in a very grown up showing of annoyance as she questioned him again, "well, you didn't exactly specify whether or not-"

"Maggie!" I cried exasperated, and she turned to me with wide eyes and screeched, "what! I can't let you and Cal go off on dangerous missions without me! What if you guys get in trouble?"

Cal sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose before leaning his back against the side of the truck and muttering under his breath. I ran a tired hand down my face and replied to Maggie sternly, "Maggie, you could have gotten killed."

"So could you, so really, I'm not doing anything wrong if you're doing it." She argued with so much pride that I honeslty couldn't be terribly mad at her, but by God, I was furious anyway. Cal sighed heavily next to me, and I saw him run his hands down his face as he growled, "what are we going to do with you Maggie?"

She crawled closer to us, and for the first time since we had discovered her presence, I saw a flash of humility cross her features. She sat on the edge of the truck bed, her legs dangling over the edge as she hung her head and mumbled softly, "I'm sorry I followed you, but I had a bad feeling, and I knew you guys we're going to do something not so good, and-and then I realized that you guys wouldn't know how to find Shade when you got there, so I-"

"How did you know we were going after my brother?" I cried exasperated as I pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes and tried to block out how serious Maggie sounded. This was all happening so fast, it was just going to me and Cal, in and out of the Silver camp with Shade and then back the compound. Now we had Maggie to take care of and honestly, I wasn't sure how much she was going to be able to help. Next to her, Cal sighed heavily one final time, and then with a voice heavy with exhaustion, he whispered, "alright, we can deal with this. We just keep her with us at all times."

Both my eyes widened in horror and I chocked, "are you crazy, she's six, she'll get killed!" I watched Cal with a mixture of disbelief and shock, and he returned my look with a glare that would have melted steel. He straightened up and argued, "well we can't exactly take her back, now can we? And we can't just leave her in the truck, because she's already proven to us that she can't stay put, so that leaves just taking her with us."

Maggie let out a squeal of delight and jumping to her feet, danced in a circle for a second and chanted, "we're gonna be spies, we're gonna be spies!" She giggled until Cal grabbed her middle and shouted, "this isn't a game Maggie!"

She stopped chanting slowly, and glanced down at him, her eyes wide with a knowledge that was beyond her years as she whispered, "I know, we have to fight Ptolemus and Evangeline, and maybe even Maven!"

"Maven won't be in a soldiers camp," Cal grumbled as he glared down at his boots, but when he returned his gaze back to Maggie he continued carefully, "you have to listen to every single thing I tell you. Can you promise me that you'll do that?"

Maggie nodded solemnly, and the pact was sealed.

We traveled for another hour and a half, until we came to a break in the tree line where Cal put the truck in park and we all sat in silence watching the small curl of smoke from distant fires. Maggie raised her head from resting it on my arm and rubbing her eyes sleepily, murmured, "are we there?"

Cal didn't respond, his eyes were frozen on the curling smoke that was steadily rising up into the inky sky. I reached out softly and rested my hand on his arm, he tensed slightly and I whispered, "Cal, are you ready?"

He barely nodded, but I still saw the tight clench of his jaw, and the fire of his eyes. I could almost feel the pain that was tightening his stomach into a withering pit. I had stood before everyone I had known and turned against them spectacularly, I remembered the moments on those stage vividly, even though I hadn't been able to recall them at the time. He turned off the truck before I could try and reassure him, he opened the door quietly and stepped out. Maggie's head turned quickly to look at Cal as her interest was piqued, her eyes were widened and they sparkled with intense excitement at the prospect of an adventure. I slowly unbuckled her, and then took her hand tightly in my own as we exited the truck as well.

Cal was standing on the edge of the road, the moonlight turning his hair to a raven black with streaks of silver from the glare of intense moonlight. He turned to glance at me as I joined him, and in the moonlight, I could see how pale he really was. The silver that ran through his veins turned his face to white, and the stark contrast made his hair darker, and his eyes brighter. Maggie inhaled sharply next to us and then in a hushed whisper inquired, "we're not very far from the camp, are we?"

"We're a good mile," I replied to her softly as Cal took a silent step out into the road, his head swiveling side to side as he scanned both directions for any sign of a patrol or the guards that should have followed us. After a few seconds of silence broken only by the heavy sound of Maggie's excited breathing, and the cawing of a far off bird, Cal returned and motioned with his head for us to follow him. Maggie immediately skipped after him, her giggles stifled by her fist which she shoved into her mouth. After a few seconds of silent walking, Maggie stepped on a twig which snapped spectacularly.

Cal froze and I almost ran into his back, but he flipped around and looking down at Maggie I saw his mind working feverishly at some problem he had foreseen. Maggie glanced up at him confusion and then shifted to the side and snapped another twig with her heel. Cal flinched at the sound and then grabbed Maggie's shoulders before she could move again. "How about we not move for a second, okay Maggie?"

She blinked up at him, and I saw the glistening in her eyes as they started to water. With a quivering lip she whispered, "I'm sorry, I-I can't help it."

Cal sighed and then couched down and whispered, "just get on my back, I'll carry you."

Maggie's eyes instantly lit up and she slipped onto his back, and as he hoisted her up she giggled and looked at me with a bright smile as she whispered, "look Mare, a Silver Prince is carrying me."

I smiled, and shaking my head at her constant mood swings, turned on my heel to follow Cal deeper into the forest

We approached the Silver camp which was tucked away in a ravine and surrounded by a few strobe lights that lit up the darker parts of the forest, making it almost impossible to find a vantage point. We found one though in a dry creek bed that originally fed a small pool five feet below, but it was not the most covered, and we had to remain crouched most of the time so as to not be noticed by the rounds of guards that were patrolling the outskirts of the camp. Their eyes were like cat's in the dark as they scanned the tree line and walked in silence, which was unnerving enough as it was, without adding in the idea that we were standing on top of them and could be killed at any moment.

Cal had left Maggie and me behind in the ravine a few minutes ago, and against my instance, had walked around the camp, looking for a better way in. He'd insisted that it would be better if he did it, claiming he knew the camp better than anyone, and that it was best if he scope out the territory.

He returned now though, like a shadow and crouched down next to me, his breath creating a soft mist in the frigid air. "There's not other way in, everything is just as heavily patrolled."

Maggie glanced toward Cal, her pale eyes shining in the night as she whispered, "Shade's not that far away though, he's in the big red tent."

Cal expelled a heavy sigh though his nose and he replied, "I know, but that's also the tent that Ptolemus is in, and I can't exactly go in there." He glanced over the small boulder we were hiding behind to watch one of the patrols pass again. I gnawed on my knuckle below him and as soon as I couldn't hear their footfalls again I inquired, "what about a distraction? Would that work?"

"You want to try and distract the whole camp? Good luck." Cal snorted, his eyes narrowing as he sank down onto his haunches and picked up a stick to draw something in the mud. I pursed my lips and then growled, "well then what about-"

"Shut up, and calm down, I'm coming up with something." Cal grumbled as he dragged the stick through the mud over and over again, and I watched a rough outline of the camp come into focus. Maggie wrapped her arms around her middle and whispered, "what about the horsies? We could let the horsies out into the camp and make a bunch of noise."

Cal glanced at her and with a wan smile he replied, "exactly my thinking, with a little twist though."

He pulled me down so that I was level with him and whispered in my ear, "I'm going to need some lightening Mare, and a lot of it."

I smiled mischievously, glad to put my ability to use once more, and squeezing his shoulder tightly I replied, "that I can do."

(/ _ **Cal**_ /)

Within ten minutes, the plan was in motion. When one of the guards passed, Maggie directed him into the trees and before he could call for help, Mare had him spasming on the ground, gasping for release. He eventually collapsed into silence, and with an exhausted sigh, Mare stepped away from the silent body, her hands shaking and her eyes glassy. She glanced down at me as I yanked the uniform off of the guard, his identity escaping me in the dark. I figured that was better though, the less I knew about the young man she had knocked unconscious the better.

"You're sure this is a good plan?" She whispered timidly, her eyes warily turning toward the camp which was as alive as ever. Yanking the worn shirt over my head and slipping the other on, I smiled to myself and jabbed, "at least I have a plan."

She puckered her lips in annoyance and then crossed her arms, her minuscule size doing nothing to add intimidation. She could be rather intimidating though when she wanted to be, if she stopped trying to fight everyone who was a foot taller than her, and knew more than she did. Mare didn't know it, but I admired her feisty spark, Julian had whispered with a sad smile that she was almost too much like my mother. She'd put up a fight for whatever she thought was right, and in a sense, I was drawn to that, like a moth to light. It had been a long time since I had seen the same inbred fighting spirit, in someone other than myself. One more thing to toss into the category of things we shared, but also just another agonizing reminder of the betrayal she had committed.

Eventually, seeing that I was getting completely undressed, she turned away as I finished dressing in the guards uniform. It had been a lucky break that he was almost as tall as me. It was rare that anyone was, but there were some blessings that you didn't ignore. I glanced up at her back as I slipped into the trousers, wondering if I would catch her eye, but she was as stubborn as ever, and kept her back completely turned to me.

"Yeah well, just give the signal when you're ready for me to follow through on my part of the deal." She grumbled as she glanced over her shoulder, her eyes perking at me to make sure I was dressed completely before she turned around. Her eyes narrowed though as she turned and inquired, "what is the signal by the way?"

Maggie stepped up next to her in the darkness, finally bored of the stump that Mare and I had designated for her to sit on, and I watched the little girl as I slipped the guards mask on. Her eyes widened as she took in my transformation from prisoner to something she couldn't quite comprehend. I saw the first hints of fear in her eyes, and it tore at my heart to see her fearful of me. I reached down and slipping the weapons belt around my waist, I offered Mare a tight smile in her direction as I teased, "I'll scream, like a little girl, that's when you know to move."

She grunted, and almost succeeded in hiding her laughter, but a little bit of it slipped past her defenses and she shook her head. She was so much more open than the people I had grown up with. So very easy to read, it was refreshing, but at the same time, I wondered if I was reading her right, if I was looking at the real Mare, or the girl that had faked her way through the Silver Court.

Maggie gripped her leg tightly following my comment and whispered, "what happens if you get caught?"

Mare turned a fearful glance to me, and for a moment I wanted to believe that she was actually concerned for my life, but that couldn't exist anymore. She was probably just worried about what happened if I didn't succeed, if her brother remained in that tent. She wasn't stupid enough to care about me twice.

"Then I leave one bullet." I whispered softly to Maggie, my hand falling heavily to the pistol at my side. The young girls eyes widened in horror at the implication, but she nodded none-the-less and averted her eyes. Before I could say anything else, Mare took her hand and pulled her deeper into the trees, where they would follow a round about path to the horse corrals and release all of them as soon as I gave the signal to do so.

"Mare?" I called after her softly. She flipped around, her hair flipping in a graceful curtain over her shoulder. She raised her brow in a silent question and inquired hesitantly, "yes?"

"Try not to be late." I whispered softly, my gaze meeting hers across the meter between us. Even in the dark, I saw her eyes harden and her jaw lock. She gave me a terse nod, and then disappeared into the trees with Maggie. Swallowing around the tight lump in my throat, I turned back toward the camp and took my first step into my possible death.

The main tent was alive with two distinct shadows and as I approached, I clutched the pistol at my side tighter. It was well known that if a solider was captured he had a pouch of tablets that he was to dump in his mouth, but a bullet to the head would suffice just as well. That morbid thought turned itself over in my head, chasing itself like a dog chasing a tail. One wrong word, one misstep, and they would know who I was, and I doubted the metal bullet would make it through my skull before Evangeline or Ptolemus stopped it. I reached the entrance before I was ready, and with a shaky breath, I squared my shoulders and pushed my way into the tent.

It was warm inside and the lantern that hung above shed blinding light, and sent shadows dancing across the tent's typical instruments for whatever torture the two Samos siblings had planned for were laid out with careful precision on a table to my right, and I eyes the glittering knife, which was already covered in sticky red blood. As I glanced across the tent, I saw Shade Barrow's huddled form, his hands tied around the main tent pole behind his back. His head was hung, and I saw the steady drip of blood that was rolling past his lips as he took is shaking breaths.

"What is it." Evangeline's cold voice hissed from her crouched position behind Shade, and I eyed the slick knife in her hand, the hilt running with blood that was slowly dripping onto the dirt floor in scarlet pools. Her eyes watched me with fury as she spit, "we're busy, state you business and get out."

There was a tightening in my chest upon seeing her. Evangeline had always looked the same, icy eyes, and pale white skin that she flaunted at every occasion. But as I stood before her for the second time as her enemy, I felt a sense of relief that I would never have to marry her, and never have to listen to her hissing voice in my ear.

Starting out of my reprieve, and hopefully faking a deeper voice, I replied, "I saw something, I think it was the girl."

Shade gave a weak, chocking cry on the floor, and I heard him croak Mare's name as he tired to lift his chin. Evangeline hissed at him for making a sound and drove the hilt of the knife into a nasty stab wound in his side. Shade didn't cry out, to his credit, but he gasped and tried to huddle in an awkward position to protect the wound better. My hand clenched at my side, my blood boiling as I took in his state. For a moment, I almost left the tent, almost walked out with a wide smile at the torture he would live through, but a pair of deep brown eyes floated in my mind's eye and I hesitated for just a moment.

"Is that so?" Ptolemus' voice whispered from the shadows, almost sensing my hesitation, as he stepped into the light and eyed me curiously. I averted my gaze quickly. I couldn't met his eye, if there was anyone who knew my eyes, it was Ptolemus Samos. He snaked around the table of knives to face me head on. "Look at me, and tell me that you saw Mare Barrow in the woods."

The tightening in my chest continued and I felt the first twinges of panic. This was not a good plan, it was not a good plan anymore, I had to get out. I glanced up slightly and in the corner of my eye, saw Shade, and in that moment, I hated myself because I was as soft and everyone thought I was.

Cursing myself mentally, I grabbed the biggest knife off the table and drove it through Ptolemus' stomach. He let out a chocked cry of surprise, and Evangeline screamed as she leaped to her feet. I yanked the knife out of her brother's middle and tossed it across the room. She screamed as it lodged into the pole, and trapped her sleeve against the wood. She yanked hard, but the tip of the blade had gotten tangled up with the chain mail of her sleeve. She yanked at the metal and screamed my name. Shade's head snapped up as I threw myself at her and pinned her up against the pole. She screeched at my closeness and with her other hand raked her nails across my cheek, throwing the mask off. The force of the blow turned my head to side, but as I looked back at her, I growled, "did you honeslty think I would roll over and die?"

She choked, and in that moment I saw the terror flare up in her eyes, but before she could draw another breath to call for help, I slammed her head back against the pole and knocked her unconscious. She slumped, her trapped arm the only thing supporting her as I dropped my hold on her limp body. I snatched the knife she had dropped out of the dirt and sawed at Shade's bonds, as they fell away, he collapsed in the dirt. In the distance, I heard the cries of surprise as the horses were released and I smiled as I murmured, "I didn't exactly scream Barrow."

I heaved Shade up to his feet and when he stumbled, I growled and ended up heaving him over my shoulder. He was a lot heavier than he looked and I cursed his size as I stumbled out of the tent and into mayhem.

There was a crackling sound, and a flame burst to life near me as a bolt of lightening sparked the brush to life. I dodged away as the flames licked at the nearest tent and set it aflame. The panicking legion members fleeing the tent gave me enough cover as I slipped through the crowd, trying to keep my head down. The fires Mare had started leaped left and right, and the heat was almost a gift, a touching remainder of the ability I had been returned, by the girl who was supposed to be my enemy.

Eventually, I reached the meeting place near the corals, and Mare let out a cry of pain when she saw the state of her brother. She stopped from setting another bush on fire as she ran to us, but as she reached out to touch him I hissed, "no time, we need to go-"

A knife whistled past Mare's head and she let out a scream as she looked over my shoulder. I glanced in the same direction and saw Ptolemus leaning against a tree, his hand clutching his bleeding middle as he reached for the next knife on his belt. He sneered at me and straightening up he spit out blood and poison, "you filthy traitor, sneaking back in her to rescue a pathetic excuse for a man-"

Mare let out a shriek of fury and let lose a bolt of lightening that Ptolemus barely dodged in his state, and as he straightened up he drew a wicked looking sword off his belt. It's hilt glinted in the light and with a pang that resonated deep in my gut I recognized it as one of mine. Ptolemus' lips broke into a malicious smile as he tilted the hilt and spit, "miss it? I bet you do, you little-"

He never got to finish as Mare threw another bolt of lightening, and he leaped backwards, stumbling, barely able to stay upright. When he righted himself again, he gave me a crooked grin and raised the sword in challenge. "You're going to let the little Red girl fight you're battles? You're even more pathetic than I originally thought Tiberius."

I shifted Shade slightly on my shoulder and Mare hissed next to me, "I'll fry you if you don't back up."

Ptolemus barely registered her threat as he took another step forward and grinned maniacally, "come here and fight me you poor excuse for a Silver."

My gut wrenched, before I could drop Shade though and step up to fight, there was a scream from a horse and Ptolemus glanced to his right to see one of the animals coming right at him. He barely had time to throw himself out of the way, but he gave us the opportunity to vanish into the trees and sprint for the truck.

A full eight minutes of panicked sprinting through the woods later, we broke the clearing and Mare threw Maggie into the back of the truck and climbed back there as well, holding her hands out of her brother as I unceremoniously threw his body back there as well. He grunted in pain and I heard Mare crying his name softly as I slammed the back of the truck shut and sprinted for the drivers seat. The legion would have recovered by now and Ptolemus wouldn't rest until he had me, leaving little time for an escape.

As I backed out into the road, I saw the flashes of the legion in the trees and I floored it for the compound, hoping to vanish into the shadows of the trees before they could follow. In the rear view mirror I saw them all lining the edge of the trees, Ptolemus was foremost among them, and even though I was already far enough away that I was safe from his grasp, I could feel his eyes like a burning fire.

The drive was silent broken only by Maggie's soft reassuring whispers to Mare and Shade's soft moans as Mare tried to do some form of first aid. As we drove, I mentally calculated how to drop them and take off. I doubted it was a possibility anymore, but it was worth some semblance of a try.

Eventually, I heard Shade whisper to Mare, "the Silver, he-"

Mare whispered something back and he replied, his voice hitching in pain. "No, no Silver would ever risk his life for a Red."

"He did though, and I don't know how I'm ever going to repay him for this." Mare replied softly, her voice swollen with unshed tears. Softly, so I have to strain to hear, she finished, "I misjudged him Shade, I should have trusted him, I should have never questioned him."

They were silent after that, but all I could hear were those words ringing in my ears. _I_ misjudged _him. I should have never questioned him._

As silence settled on us all once more, the sun peaked above the horizon, turning the sky a blood red, as Mare's words settled in my heart and mind, setting both on fire once again.

 _A/N_

 _Hello readers, just a quick little author's note. It was brought to my attention a little while ago that it's very hard to keep track of who's the POV when I switch, so I added a new little symbol:_

(/ ** _Name_** /) _means a change in POV_

(/) _means a sudden change of scene, location, or time_

 _Anyway, sorry for taking so long with this chapter, it's the longest by far (a grand total of 10256 words) and it took forever to edit. Hope you all are willing to stick around for the next chapter now. (:_

 _-Chloe_


	8. Chapter 7

_(/ **Mare** /)_

It was chaos when we returned early in the morning. The sun was just barely reaching into the sky, and a few wisps of clouds patrolled the endless cycle of blue, red, and orange. As we approached the main hanger entrance, a few distinct smudges could be discerned. The closer we got to them, the more I noticed the guns and stiff attention of the Guard.

A patrol of ten guards were waiting for us at the main door, with Farley at its stead, her face like granite and her eyes like lightening as we arrived. My mother was behind her with Tramy and Bree, both of whom had rifles mounted on their shoulder and poised at the cabin of the truck. Seeing their restrained expressions, I rolled down the window and stuck my head out at we approached, waving my arms to get their attention. I saw Bree lower the gun in surprise, and Farley barked something at him that made him raise it again.

I pulled my head back inside and Cal slowed us to a crawl before stopping completely. I glanced at him, my eyes soft as I whispered, "I can have Maggie and Shade out in seconds, you still have a chance-"

"No," he replied softly, yet sternly, he met my gaze and with a tired smile finished, "I still have no where to go."

I reached out and taking his hand tightly between my own I whispered, "I-I can't thank you-"

"You don't have to, daring rescues are in the job description for a prince." He gave me a wan smile with comment and then turned the key, shutting the engine off completely. In the silence that followed, Farley's men moved forward, surrounding the truck so that there was no way out. I didn't look at them though, all I could see was Cal's eyes. They sparkled with a light that I hadn't seen in months, as if the broken pieces of him had been put together again, and I was looking at a whole person instead of the fragmented man I had seen underneath the Bowl of Bones. His lips quirked up in a smile upon seeing my expression, and I felt my own lips turning up into a bright grin as I chocked, "you're too kind for your own-"

The door behind him was ripped opened and he was dragged out, one of the men reaching up with a knife to cut the seatbelt so he didn't get caught on it. I gasped in horror, and reached a hand out to him, but someone opened my door and yanked me out as well.

I stumbled out of the truck, barely landing on my feet. The morning air was brisk and refreshing after sitting in the back of a truck smelling Shade's blood. Glancing down, I saw that it had stained the front of my shirt and my hands, and for a moment, it was colored Silver, like the blood I had already spilled. Eventually my captor squeezed my arms and I recognized the scent they carried with them. Bree was the only person in my life that could pull off a musky scent without it being overpowering. He held my arms behind my back like when we were children, but when he hissed in my ear, it reminded me that that was the thing we were farthest from. "Do you have any idea-"

Our mother screamed near the back of the truck, her voice rising up in a cry of joy and anguish as she chocked, "my baby! Oh my baby!"

Both of our heads snapped to the back of the truck to watch a few of the guards pulling Shade out. He barely made it to the dirt, his legs like noodles it seemed as he took a weak step and embraced our mother, who let out animalistic sobs while she stroked his hair and pressed kisses all over his face. I sagged in relief at the scene, Shade had never been one to lean on our parents, I'd learned from him long ago that relying on yourself would get you much farther.

Farley's stood off to the side, watching the same scene with eyes wide in surprise, but that ended quickly when she turned her flashing gaze on Cal. The scar that ran through her face crinkled as she pointed to the guards holding him and shouted, "put him on his knees, and put a bullet through his head!"

"No!" I screamed as I tried to pull away from Bree fruitlessly. His grip was too tight though, and he was so much bigger than me. Like when we were children and I would wrestle with my brother's in the mud, I yanked my arms, but my shoulders began to ache only moments later. I felt hot tears rolling down my face as they dragged Cal over toward the tree line and forced him to his knees. His eyes were wide in surprise and he struggled against their grip to meet my eye of his shoulder. I could feel the tether between us pulling, demanding that I run to him, but as I tugged uselessly in my brother's grip I realized how utterly outgunned I was at the moment. No one here shared my opinion of Cal, not even Shade who had looked at me incredulously after I'd explained what Cal had done.

"Stop! Stop please!" I cried pitifully as I pulled against Bree still, but he wrapped me in a bear hug from behind and growled in my ear, "he was already on borrowed time Mare, it's going to be okay."

They lined up behind him, a shamble of a firing squad, their hands shaking as they loaded their guns to fire. Cal didn't move, not even when the first shell locked in place, he seemed frozen like he had been that night on the dais as he kneeled in his father's blood. Remembering that my voice had brought him out of it before, I squirmed furiously in Bree's arms and screamed, "run Cal, RUN!"

He tensed as if my words had stuck him, and then turned his head slowly to finally met my eye. Behind those irises, I could see Lucas' unforgiving gaze as he was dragged into the arena to be shot, but Cal wasn't look at me like that. His expression looked so tired, so done with all that had happened to him. He gave me a weak smile and then turned away again. _No, no, no! That was not fair! He didn't get to look a me like that!_

As the men locked their guns, and raised them to their shoulders to take aim, I heard a new voice call out. "Stop!"

There was deathly silent, and all eyes turned to Shade who could barely stand on his own, but who had somehow mustered the strength to shout an order. Farley looked at him like he had sprouted wings, and Shade grunted as he stood up straight, his hand clutching his side, and gestured to Cal weakly, "he saved my life, I won't let you kill him for that."

There was silence once more, somewhere in the distance there was a birds cry, and a moment later, I heard Farley's ragged breathing as she managed, "w-what! That's impossible, no Silver-"

"He came for me, carried me a mile on his back and returned me, Mare, and Maggie back here, without so much as a thought of running and leaving us," Shade inhaled sharply and grabbed his rib cage suddenly, and when our mother tried to step up and coddle him, he pushed her away and finished, "he's not like them, he's different, and you know it Farley, you're just too afraid to admit it. We all were too afraid to admit that one of them could be anything like us." He looked so delirious in that moment hat I was hard to take him seriously, even I was having trouble. My brother still looked like he had been dragged through Hell and brought before the devil himself, which no doubt he had been when he had to face down Ptolemus and Evangeline. He glanced at me then, his eyes full of repressed sorrow as he whispered into the dawn, "but things are changing, and we can't fight change if we're the ones instigating it."

In those words there was a silent apology, for not listening to me, for not believing me when I told him what Cal had done for our family. What the man, who Shade called monster, had done for _me._

There was dead silence following Shade's heavy speech, in which Bree let go of me, and the guards all lowered their guns hesitantly. Their gazes looking everywhere but at Cal, who was watching Shade with a mixture of confusion and respect. Softly, Shade gestured to Cal once more, and glaring at one of the young guards he ordered, "Oliver, help him up. No one is going to be shot in the back today."

The boy named Oliver, because there was no way he was any older than a boy, squirmed uncomfortably and looked at Cal like he was a poisonous snake that would leap out and bite him.

Farley let out a sound of distress and spit at Shade, "have you lost your mind Barrow?"

My brother stood to his full height and narrowing his eyes, met Farley's steel glare and growled, "Im not sure, but I am sure that I would have been dead if it weren't for the prince."

That seemed to be enough for Oliver now, who walked over and held out a tentative hand to Cal. From where I was standing, I could see that his hand was trembling as he offered his blood enemy assistance. Cal glanced at it suspiciously, before clasping his fingers around the kid's wrist and taking the help. Oliver yanked him to his feet and offered a dip of his head as he murmured something under his breath. He stepped away quickly after that and I pulled my arm from Bree's grip completely as I ran to Cal, my fingers closing around the loose fabric of his sleeve as I asked if he was okay. He gave me a gentle smile and whispered, "stopping being so worried, I was fine."

I glared at him openly, but ended up letting out a relieved sigh. Farley stood to stiff attention as a couple of the guards breezed past her and went to Shade to support him as they helped him toward the compound. My brother looked like he was about to pass out on his own to feet, that or being sick all over himself, and my mother hurried after them, but not before throwing me and Cal a curious glance. Both Tramy and Bree stepped to Shade as well, taking his arms and wrapping them around their necks while they let him lean on them. Shade glanced over his shoulder at me and Cal, his gaze curious as he took in my grip on Cal's arm, and my close proximity. His eyes met Cal's and he offered a weak, respectful, dip of his head as they vanished into the gloom of the entrance.

"I see you managed to embarrass me twice in one day."

We both glanced at Farley as she passed us, her gaze like fire as she stared Cal down. Her hand rested on the pistol at her hip as she growled once more, "the council will see what to do with you now."

She started toward the compound and I tugged on Cal's arm gently, my throat right with worry as I whispered, "it's going to be okay, I-I'll be right there with you."

He glanced at me incredulously, and then teased, "I never doubted you for a second."

My lips turned downward, but Cal started to walk, his strides measured and confident as he followed Farley. I stumbled after him, grumbling about his mocking tone as I followed him.

 _(/ **Cal** /)_

The room that the council convened in was an old amphitheater style cavern. The seats had been carved into the stone, and they rose up into the rock wall which had been carved out to allow for mass amounts of people in at once. A pit had been fashioned out of the floor, and standing in it looking up at the twelve members of the Scarlet Guard council, I had to admit, it was rather imposing and inspiring.

Mare had been forced to sit in the seats, and I could feel her eyes trained on me like a hawk, her mood adding to the thick tension in the air. I glanced at her over my shoulder and gave her a small smile, hoping to ease her worry, but instead of meeting her eye, I saw her looking at Farley and the rest of the council while she gnawed at the nail of her index finger. I had never seen her so nervous, not even when she had been sentenced to death, even then, there had been an air of pride around her. She was a fighting spirit that refused to kneel, a true soldier.

Her eyes flitted to meet mine and I raised my brow at her in question, hoping to get a cracked smile from her. She turned to chewing on her lower lip instead, her hands clutched together in her lap. It made sense that she was nervous too, the council had been convening in a hushed huddle for almost thirty minutes, but that could have been a good sign too, it could have meant that someone was not sure if banishment was the best option.

As if on cue, Farley's voice raised an octave as she shouted, "absolutely not!"

Someone hissed something to her and the sound was amplified by the arches of stone behind them. After that, they broke apart and fanned out to sit in front of me, so that twelve sets of blank eyes were boring down at me at the same time. I straightened my shoulders in response, years of conditioning to appear poised and confident, no matter the situation, kicked in. I refused to be intimidated by a group of Reds with an ego complex that was bigger than the county they inhabited.

Raising my eye to meet Farley's gaze, I saw her teeth grinding together, and her eyes narrowing at my confident stance. She squirmed in her seat and growled, "this council has reviewed everything that has taken place since we have come in contact with you, and has determined that you may stay, under certain conditions of course."

Raising my brow at her, I smiled cooly and inquired, "not the boiler room, like you hoped for?"

She sneered and rising to her feet she spit, "not quite, but considering the fact that you have already helped us a few times, it's safe to assume that you have been just _pining_ to join the Scarlet Guard."

My lips curled slightly at the assessment, I had never even considered that angle, but seeing as it meant I could buy a little more time to plan how I was going to take back the crown that was rightfully mine, it was a safe thing to accept. Also, it would give me a little bit of insight into the force that dared to call itself an army, let alone a guard. As if seeing my confusion, Farley's sneer turned into a grin of pleasure and she drawled, "now the conditions are thus: you will not leave this compound without the presence of a trusted member of this council, and Mare Barrow is, at the moment, in no such position, also, you will be feeding this council information, _real information_ , not the bogus names and places your brother gave us."

At the mention of Maven, my lip curled again, and the same bitter taste I always got returned. He'd played it so perfectly, tagged me with the blame for his actions, cleaned his record without suspicion, it was infuriating to even think about. He had not only played me though, he'd played the woman sitting behind me in the seats, and the council sitting before me. He'd gone out of his way to turn everyone against each other, and to an extent, I applauded him silently. His plan had been brilliant, and flawlessly executed with Elara.

After contemplating their conditions silently, I drew a deep breath and drawled, "well those are hardly fair."

I heard Mare suck in a gasp of exasperation, and the silence that followed my comment was cold and tense. The council shared stunned looks and Farley's lips curled into a sneer again, as if she had tasted something sour. Mare leaped to her feet and screeched in fury, "Cal!"

I shrugged, ignoring her cry and cotinued casually, "look, I've already helped you guys, I fixed you're boilers, I saved Shade Barrow, I think I deserve something in return," they council shared looks again, and one of the older men, his hair silver with age and his eyes dark with years of servitude rose to his feet. I tensed against his appearance, remembering Julian's dark eyes as they met mine, when I told him to leave.

"Of course, you have helped us more than we could ask for, but we have already granted you a concession for your work." The man offered me a tight smile, and I narrowed my eyes in response. They had offered me nothing, sure they'd granted me a fake form of freedom, but that was hardly compensation. As I opened my mouth to protest to his speech, the man held his hand up to silence me and stated, "we have granted you your life, do not forget Your Highness, we could have left you in that arena to die."

I sucked in a sharp breath through my teeth, recalling how I had woken up on an underground train bound for who knows where, surrounded by people who wanted to kill me. With a sickening drop of my stomach, I realized that he was right, they had spared my life, saved me, and I had repaid them with my deeds. It only made sense that they would ask for more, and pay me back again. It would become an endless cycle that continued on until the day I died or stepped above them completely.

The man sighed heavily and with a tried smile he soothed, "you must miss your life, and I can not say that I did not wish for your fall, but it takes more courage to stand with your enemies, than it takes to stand alone."

The silence that followed his statement brought a heavy sadness to my heart. Julian would say the same thing. He would glare at me over the edge of his book, his eyes narrowed and his tone cool as he asked what I was thinking, before reprimanding me for whatever stupid plan I had concocted. He had done the same thing as he'd left his rooms for the last time. He'd glanced over his shoulder at me, and with a tired sigh has given me his last words of wisdom. _The Barrow girl is trouble, but she's the kind of trouble we may need right now. Be careful though Tiberius, trouble like her has a funny way of working itself out, and becoming a lesson._

Well, Mare had certainly become a lesson, although, I doubted it was the one Julian anticipated. I glanced at her over my shoulder and watched as her eyes flickered from furious, to confused, to slightly guilty. I never missed that flash of pain in her eyes whenever someone mentioned, or she even though about how much of a role she played in my ultimate banishment from the only life I had ever known. It drove a knife through me though, when she tried to apologize, when she got choked up and couldn't finish because she was so guilty. I hand't lied when I told her she wasn't a monster. I had seen plenty of them in my life time to know one when I saw it.

The old man sighed heavily once more, and drew my attention one final time as he stated simply, "it is your decision Your Highness, we are not bound to you, and you are not bound to us, we will let you go quietly if that is what you wish."

With that he took his seat gracefully and bowed his head in silent thought. The rest of the council looked at him with a mixture of awe and shock, Farley seemed the least surprised though, with her hand clenched into fists and her cheek twitching in annoyance.

I glanced back at Mare, and she gave me a small smile, almost a surrender, maybe permission to do what I had wanted to do for almost two months now. But seeing her alone up there, so small and unsure of herself, I realized how much she probably needed me. Not in the sense that I would have wanted, given the circumstances, but she needed my help to keep her on track, to get her feet under her again so that she could cultivate that feisty spirit. She wasn't the only one that needed me though, Maggie needed me too. I hadn't taken much to realize that Maggie was alone. Her mother would have never let her sneak out as much as she had, and according to Mare, he father had never returned from the siege on the Capital. He was lying in a watery, unmarked grave under the Palace that he had probably detested, along with all the others that had died so brutally at the hands of _my men_. In an unspoken way,I was responsible for Maggie. I had indirectly killed the only family she may have had, and for that, I could never offer myself to her enough. As soon as I had made that realization, another dawned on me. I may not have the army I once had, and there was no way in hell that I could come up with another one. I was being offered a chance to achieve my goal, not exactly with the tools I would have liked to have, but Farley and the Scarlet Guard shared an enemy with me. If they were just a little more trained—

I smiled then, it made much more sense when I thought about it that way. Glancing up at the council I stated, "fine, I lay down my flag. I'll join your guard," there were a few gasps of surprise, but I silenced them as I held up my hand and continued, "but, I have one request."

Farley snorted under her breath and growled, "proceed."

"I want the throne when we overthrow Maven."

There was dead silence, followed by one of the council members leaping to his feet and screeching, "absolutely not! We would have fought a war just to put another Silver on the throne!"

I glared at the rather squirrel like man. With beady eyes, and a rather bushy hair style that made his head appear smaller than it actually was, he resembled a Silver lord I had once known. Smirking, I inquired condescendingly, "oh, and what did you plan to do once you got rid of Maven? Were you going to sit on the throne and run a country?"

"Maybe I would have-" He shouted as he pestered the woman next to him to rise, demanding she join in with his logic. A few of the council members shouted their consent with him, and Farley had to fire a round of bullets into the air to silence them. A few sheets of the stone fell from the ceiling and Farley glared at me as she ordered, "that's enough, he has made his point clear, and we all appear to be in agreement. If that is your request, we deny it."

Shrugging, I sighed sadly and retorted, "pity, I suppose you wont get the second part of my transfer then."

The old man smiled knowingly and whispered something to Farley, who growled and then rolling her eyes inquired, "pray tell, what would that be?"

"Well, I was going to offer to train your men, get them into actual fighting shape, but seeing as you won't accept my request, I guess you won't get that." I explained before straightening my shirt and concluding, "pity, you all look like you could use my help, not to mention you lose all that valuable information I have."

If Farley was upset before, she was murderous now. Her face turned three shades of red before she chided, "why you—you— slimy—"

"I think those are fair terms." The old man interrupted, his hand resting on Farley's arm as he rose once more and acknowledged me with a nod. I could feel Mare staring holes into my back too as she probably planned on how to lecture me about manipulating the council, but at the moment I was too busy trying not laugh at the expressions on the council. They ranged from murdering me with their thoughts, to plain shock, but one by one they glanced at the old man and whispered their agreement. The squirrel man was last, and he stammered for a moment, apparently debating whether or not his position was worth his pride, but eventually he bowed his head and gave his consent. The old man smiled and with a dip of his head announced, "well, since we are all now in agreement, welcome to the Scarlet Guard, Your Highness."

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

As I lead Cal through the compound, pointing out important landmarks, I seethed silently. He had played them all, and although the council had agreed to his idea, I had seen through the smoke screens. Behind me, Maggie bounced along next to Cal, chatting his ear off and adding more information than was necessary. He would give her a light hearted smile, and she would continue talking, as if he were given her permission to be obnoxious. Every so often though, I felt his gaze, and I knew he was begging me to turn around and talk to him. I couldn't though, I hated his guts for so much as standing up to the council of people that had granted him life twice now.

As we passed groups of Reds in the long hallways, they stared at Cal, and every so often a woman would yank her son or daughter away from him, as if Cal would leap out and kill the child. As word passed between the camps that a Silver had joined the Scarlet Guard, the men started to trickle out, their eyes narrowed and their gazes suspicious as they put an arm around their wife and tucked their children close to them.

For a moment, I thought that Cal wouldn't notice, but slowly, his eyes began to gravitate toward the families that watched him like he was disease carrying rat. Maggie seemed to sense the morbid air as well, because she grew silent as we continued walking, and eventually slipped her hand into Cal's, as if she were trying to reassure him. The longer we walked too, the more people came out to get a glimpse of the fallen prince, and the larger the crowds got, the more worried I became.

Many of the Guardsmen glared at Cal and set their hands on their weapons, but they didn't draw them, which was surely going to change if a fight broke out. The hallway we were heading down to approach the sleeping quarters ran toward a bottle neck, where the crowd was thickest, and immediately, I saw Cal tense. As we rounded the corner, a group of young men broke through the crowd and the first person I saw was the last person I wanted to see.

Leading the group of three at the point was Kilorn, his guards uniform ripped in a couple places, and his eyes hard as stone. I paused, and Cal stopped behind me, and the moment he saw Kilorn as well, the temperature in the small space leaped up ten degrees. Maggie gasped at the heat, and I felt my skin prickle as Kilorn's eyes narrowed on Cal. I could recall their first meeting in the Stilts like it was yesterday, and in a way it was. They had almost gone to blows then, and I doubted there would be any warm and fuzzy feelings this time around.

Kilorn stopped in front of me, his stance stiff and cold as he glared down at me. I watched his eyes scan me, Maggie, and halt on Cal. As soon as he saw the drawstring bag hanging over Cal's shoulder, her sneered and muttered, "I see, apparently we're accepting Silver traitors into our ranks now."

One of the guards behind him snickered, and crossed his arms to hide his apparent discomfort. His uniform hung off his shoulders at awkward angles, and his brow had a row of haphazard stitches across it. His partner looked be a little older than Kilorn, but no less scrawny. He sneered in Cal's direction, his hackles rising as he took a side step toward Kilorn. My friend glared at me and then jerking his thumb toward Cal he snorted. "Farley can't be serious, we may be desperate for soldiers, but come on, a Silver?"

"Cal has offered his services to us, try to be nice." I growled, my own hackles rising with the tension of the crowd. A few Guardsmen had stepped away from their lounging positions against the walls, and made their way to stand behind Kilorn, forming a barrier that prevented us from continuing. I straightened my shoulders and spit, "move Kilorn, I'm showing him around-"

"Well, how about I take over, and show him a proper Red welcome-" Kilron hissed as he shoved me out of the way. I stumbled into the crowd, where arms both caught me and held me down, and heard Maggie scream as Kilorn grabbed the front Cal's shirt and pushed him through the crowd to pin him up against the stone wall.

The Reds exploded in cheers and I shoved my way through them, my hand already balling into a fist to punch Kilorn across the jaw. Before I could reach him though, one of the Guardsmen grabbed my arms and pinned them against my side. The man holding me was twice my size, his grip like iron as he laughed with the rest of the crowd. Maggie squirmed against an older woman who looked like she was pleading with the little girl, and the crowd surged forward in anticipation as Kilorn drew his fist back. A loud crack filled the air as his fist made contact with Cal's nose, and a splatter of silver hit the wall, before Kilorn yanked Cal's head back so that he could hit him again.

"Kilorn, _that's enough._ " Someone ordered, and the crowd parted upon hearing the voice. Their anticipation dying as the mood quickly shifted from exhilarating to embarrassment. Making his way through the crowd, Bree narrowed his eyes on the man holding me, who immediately let go, and muttered an apology. Behind my eldest brother, Tramy followed, his path set for Kilorn. My friend backed down immediately, his scrawny size obvious compared to my brothers. Bree glanced at Cal who was holding his nose and holding himself up against the wall. He raised his brow in speculation and insisted, "you alright Silver?"

Cal grunted an acknowledgement and spit, " _I'm fine_." His hand came away from his nose coated in blood. Kilorn snorted at the spectical and then raising his arms he shouted to the gathered crowd, "see the Prince brought so low, look at him," he sneered in Bree's direction and spit, "apparently gods bleed too."

Maggie pulled away from the woman and ran to me, her hands clutching my leg as she wrapped herself around it. Bree glanced at her and then frowning in my direction, he turned his glare on Kilorn and insisted, "you're done here, you've made your point."

"My point? _My point_? You want a point Bree? Since when does the council invite Silvers into our ranks. The last time it did, he got half of us killed!" Kilron argued, and his words were followed by shouts of approval from the crowd, which had continued to grow in size around us. A few steps away, I saw Oliver from earlier, his expression twisted in disgust as he looked at Cal. I wasn't sure if he was disgusted with the situation or the man himself, but judging by his stance, it was the latter.

"Duly noted," Bree replied casually, his eyes scanning the crowd, and when they returned to Kilorn he continued, "but something you don't know about this Silver is that he saved my brothers life. Risked his own skin to sneak into a Silver camp and rescue him. Now, I don't know about you, but I doubt that you have the guts to even think about going near such a place."

The crowd grumbled a little bit, their confusion evident now. Cal had been a threat a moment ago, now he was hero? It was unheard of, completely ludicrous that a Silver would care so much about a Red. Bree sensed the immediate shift in the crowd and with a smile he bowed his head and muttered, "I'll be damned if I ever hear of such a thing again. My family owes this Silver a life debt. He saved my sister, and now my brother, we can never repay him for what he's done."

Slowly the crowd began to back down of it's platform, their glances uneasy as they listened to Bree's words. I made my way to Cal then, offering him my jacket to wipe the blood off of his nose. He glared at it in my hand and pushed it away. I watched Tramy stalk towards Kilorn and hiss, "and if what Mare told us is true, you owe him your life too."

Kilorn's eyes widened, his face paling as he tried to regain his composure from earlier, but he was fighting a losing battle. Those who had supported him had spun on a dime with a few well chosen words, and I was reminded so heavily of Maven and the Court that I and suffered in. Cal had finally risen next to me, his nose still bleeding slightly, and his features like stone as he made his way toward Bree and the center of the masses. I followed him with Maggie tagging along, and we stood side by side then. The heat rolling off of him combined with the tint of electricity in the air from me, made the crowd back away quickly. They watched us with a mixture of disdain and fear as we passed through the narrow gap, lead by Bree, and followed by Tramy. As soon as we had passed the crowd, I glanced back at Kilorn who stood like a statue, his expression stormy as he watched us walk away. Behind him, one of the men sneered something into his ear, and I watched my friends spit something back and then disappeared though the crowd with the two men that had followed him in.

The twist of fate that had separated us yanked at my heart, and I glaced away quickly, afraid of giving away how much his words and actions had shaken me. Ahead of me, Bree glanced back at me and looked me over for any serious injuries. When he didn't spot any, he looked forward again, his expression not betraying whatever he was thinking. Next to me, Cal spoke to his back, his voice gruff with irritation as he managed to let his pride take a hit, "thank you."

Bree snorted ahead of us and stopped, his eyes glinting as he stuck his face in Cal's in growled, "I'm only going to save you skin once Silver, next time, I'll stand by and watch."

He continued on down the hallway then, and Tramy followed him, neither of them giving me a glance as they left us standing alone in the cold hallway.

 _(/ **The Silver Court: Archeon** /)_

Maven sat in the high backed throne, tapping his index inter steadily against the arm, his eyes set on Evangeline and Ptolemus Samos, both of whom had their heads lowered in embarrassment. Inhaling sharply through his nose, Maven hissed, "let me get this straight, Mare Barrow, my brother, and a _little girl_ , infiltrated your camp, burned it to the ground, almost killing all of Shadow Legion, and you let them escape with the prisoner that was our best link to the Scarlet Guard?" He of course had heard the story long before Ptolemus had returned, and had been waiting for him expectantly. It had been too quiet in court, everyone had followed the transition from Cal to him smoothly, and he suspected that had something to do with his mother's influence. But if there was one thing he had learned from his time in his brother's shadow, it was to play to one's strengths.

Evangeline turned her head away and twisted the fabric of the jacket she was wearing upon hearing Maven's assessment.. Her brother raised his eyes to meet Maven's and gasped in surprise, "it was a well orchestrated plan."

"As, I see. So a plan put together by three people, one of which was no older than five, as you described her, managed to outsmart you," Ptolemus blanched at the accusation but Maven sneered and continued before he could be interrupted, "I'm glad to know that putting you in charge of hunting down Mare and Cal has turned out to be _such a good decision._ "

Evangeline sneered at the tiles in the floor and tried not to snap at the brat on the throne. He hardly had any reason to blame them. He wasn't out there hunting down a group of Reds that hid, like the cockroaches they were, underground. He had no right to call them weaklings, he hadn't been there when Cal had slipped into the camp under everyone's noses and surprised both of them. If he had been there though, Evangeline was sure that the same situation would have played out.

Maven rose from his throne and descended the dais steps so that he stood before them, his blue eyes like ice as he hissed, "perhaps I should send my mother now, she would have eaten her food instead of playing with it."

Ptolemus growled under his breath, but recovered quickly to demand, "one more chance, your Majesty. We ask for one more chance. We will find them, and bring them here, bleeding and broken."

Maven snorted, his disinterest obvious as he turned his back on the two of them, and headed up to his throne again. He stroked the arm softly, almost lovingly, and growled, "I tire of searching for them. I have a new plan." He had been orchestrating it for weeks while Ptolemus and Evangeline were out running a wild goose chase. He had known that they Guard would move the moment they escaped, and sure enough when he had sent troops to Naercey, it had been abandoned, but he had futilely hoped that the Guard would drop his pathetic excuse for a brother and leave him to die. Unfortunately, they had kept him around, probably Mare's doing, the very thought of them together making his lips curl. He had _loved_ her, had _wanted_ her, and just like always, his wretched brother got everything. That was going to change though, he just had to get the right leverage.

Ptolemus frowned as he observed Maven's little reaction, his eyes meeting his sister's for a moment, before turning them back to his king. He had no respect for Maven, he had of course respected Cal, had loved him like a brother. It had felt like someone ripped his heart out when he watched the tapes of the man he had grown up with slicing a sword through the air, decapitating his own father. It had hurt even more when he had been sent into the arena to kill him. He could still remember the pain in his friend's eyes as he stood over his victim, ready to deliver the killing blow. He hadn't though, and to this day, Ptolemus Samos could not understand why Cal had spared him, when the Barrow girl had been shrieking for him to go for the kill. If he had been in Cal's shoes, he would have done it, would have done so without mercy or regret.

That had always been the difference between the two of them though. Cal's kills haunted his eyes like demons, Ptolemus always seemed to sleep better after his victories.

Maven sighed heavily, and glancing out the window and the crashing rain, he growled, "I'm going after the new bloods now, kill a few of them, and Mare Barrow will come running, my traitorous brother won't be far behind her either."

Ptolemus saw a flash of bitter jealousy flash through Maven's eyes, but it was gone as soon as the comment was out of his mouth. He seemed to sneer at some thought, and then glaring at the Samos siblings over his shoulder he ordered, "out, I will call for you with I need you."

Ptolemus executed a perfect bow next to his sister, but as they turned to leave, Maven stopped them. "Evangeline, you stay, I have to speak with you about something."

She frozen, and Ptolemus reached out to lay reassuring hand on his shoulder. She looked at him warily before nodding and returning to her original position before the dais. Ptoleums watched her back for a moment before leaving the grand throne room, his steps echoing like a ghost in the empty, dark room.

Evangaline felt her breath hitch in her throat as the doors at the other end of the hall slammed closed and she was alone with Maven. A weak peel of thunder in the distance was followed by a flash of lightening, and she set her jaw tightly avians the memory of the tendrils of light from outside had run through her body. She'd had nightmares about it for weeks, had seen the Red girl's eyes, filled with power and strength as she had almost fried Evangeline's circuits. In the middle of the night she would wake screaming in the darkness, and her brother would be there in a moment, his touch soothing and his voice soft as he ushered her back into her turbulent dreams.

Maven glanced down at her over his shoulder before beckoning her with his finger. She frowned in confusion, but she mounted the steps anyway and bowed to him. He waved her etiquette away and then with cold grin gestured to the throne. "Sit."

She blinked in confusion, it was unheard of for the king to demand such a thing, but sank down in the seat all the same. An order from a king, no matter how much she hated him, was an order. As soon as she sank into the seat, she felt her shoulders tense, Maven had vanished from her line of view. Another peel of thunder sounded, much closer, shaking the walls it seemed, and Evangline tensed against the white flash of lightning. A few seconds later though, Maven's velvet voice rang out from behind her, "close your eyes for a moment, imagine this room filled to the brim with the Silver court, lit up floor to ceiling."

Evangeline's frown deepened, and her gut twisting in confusion and discomfort as she played along with Maven's game. His voice sang out again, much closer than before, but it was just as cold and calculating as his mother's. "Now imagine yourself, up here on this dais, dressed in the finest silks, and imagine," his voice was right next to her now, and she shivered as his breath brushed against her ear, "imagine the weight of the crown, as it's slowly lowered onto your head."

Her pulse quickened and she imagine it all, the glowing colors, the cheers, and suddenly, she felt a weight land on her head. A peel of thunder overhead snapped her to reality and she gasped, her eyes flying open, and her hand snapping to her head. Her finger pricked the tip of Maven's crown, which he had laid on her head like it was her own. She pulled her finger away in shock, a single pearl of blood rolling down her finger tip. She watched it roll down and plop into her lap softly, and she could almost see the smile in Maven's voice as he whispered, "wouldn't it be something, if that all came true?"

Evangeline snapped out of the throne at that, the crown clattering to the ground as she stumbled down the dais steps. She clutched at her chest with her hand, which shock as Maven whispered behind her, "don't tell me you haven't lost sight of that dream Evangeline. Cal may be gone, but the position of queen will always be here."

She flipped around to glare at him, but only met a crooked grin that had never existed on Maven's face. He lounged on the arm of the throne, his fingers toying with the collar of his uniform as he inquired, "so what do you think, are you still up to be Queen?" His confidence was toxic, but at the same time it was disgusting. How dare he lounge in such a manner in her presence!

She had never been unsure of her desires, and as she glanced at the the crown, which Maven scooped up and deposited on his head, she felt a tingling in her fingers and at the back of her mind. That crown was meant to be hers, she was supposed to be queen, not a little Red girl that had mysterious charmed her way into the palace. The traitorous bitch that had stolen her chance at the crown by being, what? What had been so special about her that Cal had skunked to her like a dying man needing water? Surely he hadn't been impressed with her looks, Mareena, or Mare, whoever she was, had hardly been a sight for sore eyes. She had been the most plain creature Evangeline had the misfortune of looking upon.

As she thought about all this, the tingling in the back of her mind grew stronger. IN every crevice of the room, she could feel the metal calling to her, begging for her to bend it to her will. She could play Maven's games, she could play anyone's, _and she would win._ She would be queen, and Maven, well, he was expendable.

Grinning wanly at him, Evangeline mounted the steps of the dais once more and cooed, "I'm listening Your Highness."

 _A/N:_

 _Hello lovely readers!_

 _So this time we have been introduced to a new setting, **The Silver Court**. Any time you see something like this: (/ **Location** /), **the POV will be Third Person Omniscient** , and we will have a few of these splattered throughout, just so we can all queue into what Maven and the Silvers are doing while the Scarlet Guard is fighting. I hope you all liked my take on Maven, Evangline, and Ptolemus. Also one new thing, I think I'll be adding a question at the end of every chapter so, here it is for this one: _

**_What do you think Maven's up to? Also, what do you think of Kilorn in this chapter? We may get a look into his head later on. ;)_**


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _(/ **Cal** /)_

A tiny finger pressed into my shoulder blade for the fifth time that night, and I expelled an annoyed sigh through my nose. Maggie had switched beds five times so far, this would be the sixth time since I had actually managed to get in bed. She had developed of cycle of crawling in with me, squirming an hour later and complaining that it was too hot, then getting up, kicking all the blankets off, and crawling in with Mare before getting up ten minutes later and complaining that it was too cold. The first two times it had been cute and I had let her curl up against my back, but after that, it had gotten old and at this point in time, I was not going to put up with it anymore.

She prodded me again, his finger digging into the muscle right below my shoulder blade, and whispered, "I'm cold." Her voice had taken a whine and it didn't take much to know that she was on the verge of tears. Sighing heavily, I sat up and looked at her closely, barely able to discern her face in the pitch black. "You need to pick and bed and stay there Maggie, this is not-"

"But it gets really hot with you, and Mare is a terrible sleeping friend, she kicks!" Maggie whined again, before wiggling under my blankets and curling up like a cat. Expelling another heavy sigh through my nose, I laid back down and stared at the ceiling, at this point, I wasn't going to get any sleep, and I envied Mare who seemed to sleep through every one of Maggie's transitions. Maggie shifted and curled up against me, her arms winding around mine as she whispered, "can you tell me a story? My daddy used to, and it always helped me go to sleep."

Running my fingers through my hair, I muttered, "I don't have any good stories, none that you would like that is."

She sits up, and with a gasp that would have woken the dead, cried, "did your mommy or daddy not tell you stories?"

Her words sliced through the darkness like a blade, and cut into the deepest wound I have ever received. No amount of trying to ignore it seemed to fix the problem, the nightmares still came, the memories remained, honestly, it was more of a nuance now. The memories were avoidable, but the nightmares, the ones that came in the middle of the night, right when I thought I would get an actual night of sleep, were the worst. "No Maggie, they didn't. My father never had time to do things like that, and my mother... she left a long time ago."

Maggie's head tilted to the side, and her curls tumbled off her shoulder in a waterfall as she simply replied, "oh."

She sat in silence after that, her eyes searching my face it seemed, wondering if I was going to divulge any more of my past. Evidently, she realized I wasn't going to, because she curled up next to me again and whispered, "my mommy went away too. She left when I was born. My daddy said that she went away so that I could live, did your mommy go away so that you could live?"

I tried not to let her question cut into the dark recess of my mind where I stored all of the thoughts that I had buried about my mother, Elara, Maven, and any regrets that I had ever had, but Maggie seemed to always open that vault with her comments. She turned her head to gaze at me watchfully, her expression curious and sad at the same time. Sighing heavily, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and whispered, "no Maggie, my mother didn't go away for that reason, she went away for very different reasons."

"Oh," Maggie whispered again, and she didn't appear to want to pursue the subject further. But a moment later she nudged into my side to get more comfortable and whispered, "well, my daddy said that my mommy loved me a lot, I bet your mommy loved you a lot too, and I'm sure she was really sad when she had to go away."

There was never a way to explain to a child what taking your own life meant, and although the words clawed at my throat, I suppressed them and nodded tightly. Julian had always expressed that my mother had adored me, of course the only question that I had framed in my mind when I was young was, _was I not enough to keep her here_? Had she been so far gone that she had not bothered to think what leaving me here would do, how lost I would be without that maternal touch and loving voice that both scolded and encouraged me at the same time? Glancing over Maggie's head at Mare's back, I recalled Julian laughing about how much like my mother she was, how headstrong and righteous she was, and how much trouble the two of them would have caused if they had met.

There was no doubt in my mind that my mother would have adorned Mare, would have pitted her against Evangeline every chance she got, then again, I had a feeling my mother would have fought tooth and nail to keep Evangeline Samos away from me.

"What about the Queen, wasn't she your mommy?"

I winced and tried not to sneer at the question. It was a perfectly valid idea for Maggie to hold, most people would think that, and although I wished they wouldn't, it was a common misconception, even in the court, that Elara had cared for me. If anything, she had thought of me a thorn in her side, preventing her son from ascending to the throne. "No Maggie, she actually didn't really like me."

"Why would she not? I thought that your daddy didn't love you." Her tiny voice whispered as her hand closed into a fist on my chest, her hair tickling my neck as she squirmed to get closer. "Everyone says that you killed your daddy Cal, I thought maybe he didn't love you, and that's why you did it, did you do it because of that?" She inquired in a whisper, her words softer now that she seemed to sense that we were about to enter dangerous territory. I thanked her silently for that, but at the same time I wanted to push her away and hiss that I didn't want to talk about that. Maggie never meant to hurt anyone though, she was just a little too curious for her own good. "Yes, I did kill him, but I didn't do it because I wanted to, I did it because someone made me."

"I heard Mare say that the Queen made you do it, why would she do that?" Maggie asked incredulously, her lips pursuing in annoyance at the lack of information she had. I sighed as I pushed her messy hair out of her eyes and replied softly, "because I was in her way."

"How, Mare won't tell anyone why she made you, she just says that it's really complicated, and when I asked, she said that I wouldn't understand." She pouted again, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. I laughed weakly at her spectacle and replied, "well in simple terms, she made me do it because she wanted her son to be king."

"Oh," Maggie was silent for a moment, but when she spoke again, her voice wavered and her body tensed, "I'm like her, aren't I?"

"What?" I blanched, the word coming out more as a laugh, but a moment later, I felt a warm drop of liquid bleed through my sleeve. I sat up quickly and looked down at Maggie, who tried to hide her tears by wiping at her cheeks, but she couldn't hide the heat signature she gave off. I reached out then, and lifted her chin up so that she was looking at me as I stated sternly, "no, and don't you ever think that. You and the Queen are entirely different people."

Maggie wiped at her nose again and whimpered, "but-but I make people do things like her. I make people hurt."

My heart broke for the tiny child nestled into the blankets with me, she had developed an ability that would scare anyone that came in contract with her, and it didn't surprise me that she thought of herself as a monster for it. I laid my hand softly on her hair in response and whispered, "you're nothing like the Queen, for example, you like to play with me and Mare right?"

Maggie nodded weakly and continued to wipe at her eyes with her palm, and I smiled as I pushed her hair out of her face, which had fallen across her eyes after her fidgeting, and continued, "well, the Queen hates me and Mare, I think that makes you very different from her."

She seemed to think about this for a moment, before smiling warmly and whispering, "well, when you put it like that..." she trailed off as I laid back down. Her eyes were filled with mirth once more, as if my analysis had chased away all her terrifying thoughts. We laid silence for a few moments, and I listened to the steady rise and fall of Maggie's chest as she slowly dropped into sleep. She didn't so much as fidget anymore, and her stillness was almost a blessing, it seemed I would finally be able to get some sleep.

A few feet away, I heard Mare's blankets shift as she rolled over and a few seconds later, she whispered, "did you mean all of that?"

"All of what?" I asked warily, how much had she heard? I had been certain that she was asleep, and it wasn't like Mare was a light sleeper or anything, I had a theory that she could sleep through an atomic explosion and have no idea what had happened. Her silence afterward only confirmed my suspicions that she had heard all of it, and was debating whether or not to tell how much she had heard.

When the silence got to be too much, she sighed heavily and whispered, "about your mother, I had no idea what happened, you just said-"

"I don't like talking about it." I interrupted, refusing to broach the subject with her. As much as I wanted to confide in her, I knew that it would become a dangerous game of secrets between the two of us. As if sensing my thought process too, Mare propped herself up on her elbow and warned, "you shouldn't bottle all that up, it's not healthy for you."

"I have done just fine for the past nineteen years of my life, thank you very much." I grumbled, but judging by her silence, I had a feeling she had heard. Her blankets shifted again and she mumbled, "okay, goodnight then Cal."

She rolled away to face the wall and out of the corner of my eye, I saw her curl into a tight ball. She was so much smaller in the dark it seemed. A hurricane of a girl in the day, and a drizzle in the dark when she was alone. A part of me empathized with her facade, the need to appear strong, even if you were crumbling to ash on the inside. She was so gentle and brazen at the same time, and although the irony of such a thought was obvious, I couldn't help but notice that about her. She reminded me so much of the unknown skies that I had looked to as a child, but she didn't just epitomize those depths, she _was_ the unknown, the darkness behind the stars that made them shine brighter. I had fallen in love with that after unconsciously searching for it my whole life.

It hurt to look at her though, because all I could think about was how much I needed her in my life, how much I craved that uncertainty, when I knew I shouldn't have it. She was an alcohol that I had sipped by mistake and become drunk on before I could even realize the bitter taste she left behind. She was everything I could have wanted, everything I had ever wanted, and I had almost chosen her on that bridge. Everything had changed though when she had said "us" and I had seen Maven standing behind her. For the first time in my life in that moment, I recognized the pain I'd put my brother through his whole life. How gut wrenching it had been to see them so close, so trusting, when all I had wanted was for her to trust me, to look at me the way she had looked at Maven, with hope and understanding.

She had looked at me like that once though, and I had destroyed any chance we had by doing as I was told, by doing what I had always thought was right. Seeing all of this though, seeing how much pain the people were in, the lengths they were willing to go to reach an equal status with Silvers, made me sick to think of all the times I had believed them to be nothing. Mare had been right, things needed to change, and I had ignored her, had blinded myself in hope that I was doing the right thing. _The right thing isn't always the easiest_ , was what Julian used to tell me, what he had tried to instill in me. I'd wanted my way to be right though, wanted it be right so badly that I had thrown the only girl I loved to the wolves in hopes that she would come out thinking like me.

The truth was though, that I had forgiven Mare a long time ago. I had forgive her under the Bowl of Bones when she had been brought so low by doing what she though was the right thing. The trouble with that thought though, was that I couldn't forgive myself for not listening to her, and that was more painful than any betrayal.

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

I sat at breakfast with Cal the next morning, he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a disaster that I was not used to seeing. He looked so disheveled, with his shirt missing buttons at the top so he had to leave it open, and his hand rammed into his messy hair so that he was supporting his head. He looked like a mess, and I didn't blame him. I had heard him wake up a few times last night, not counting the awkward conversation we had had after Maggie had fallen asleep. The first time he'd woken up gasping, like someone was drowning him, and after that I heard him wake softly shouting at someone to stop. I'd woken him up the last time, since Maggie had woken me, crying about Cal twitching and crying softly. I'd shaken him awake and he'd pushed me away in his half awake state, and when he was fully awake, he'd looked at me like I was a ghost that he had only just noticed. I'd reached out to him, hoping to console him, but he'd grabbed a shirt near his mattress and left the room quickly.

I had found him an hour later in the boiler room, sitting on the steps that led down to her previous confinement, his shoulders slumped and his chin tucked into his chest. I'd sat next to him in silence then, just hoping to offer him solace with my presence, I had hoped with all my might that by just being there with him, he didn't feel so alone.

Now, I could see the aftermath of his night, and it wasn't all that pretty of a sight. Even though his nose had been readjusted by a very hesitant woman, there was still an ugly mix of purple and black under his eyes, and the woman had warned me that he would have trouble sleeping for a some time, because he would have difficultly breathing. That appeared to be the least of my worries though.

Next to him, Maggie was a bundle of energy, her voice a whirlwind of words in between bites of her soggy oatmeal. Her hair was barely tamed into a braid, which I had begged her to let me finish in the first place, and her shirt was much too big and fell off of her slim shoulders.

Around us, the Reds looked at Cal warily and some even moved their chairs a little further away so that we were the only people at the table. No one appeared to want to approach, but a few of the young Red children who had never seen a Silver up close before, slinked over to try and get a look at Cal. He would glance at the warily and they would all run away screaming comically. One little girl ended up standing right next to his chair and blatantly staring, and when Cal gave her the same look as the others, she shoved her thumb in her mouth and tilted her head to the side curiously. Her mother ended up running over and yanking her away, hissing under her breath about Silvers and monsters, while the little girl just smiled at Cal and gave him a lazy wave goodbye.

"You'd think none of them had ever seen a Silver before." Teased a familiar voice behind me. I glanced over my shoulder at Shade who gave Cal a lazy wink and a crooked grin before sitting down in one of the multiple empty seats. He slumped a little bit, and I noticed how his hand still pressed on his side. Even though he looked pale and sickly, he still looked better than Cal, and that was with almost dying a few days ago. I smiled at him warmly, happy for his somewhat cheerful presence, and replied, "well, not out of uniform I'm sure, it took me some getting used to also."

Shade laughed and gave Maggie a smile before turning his attention back to Cal and wincing at the state of his nose. He rubbed his neck with his hand and muttered, "I heard Kilorn gave you a warm welcome."

"Certainly, I've learned that it's a Red custom to beat people you have just met." Cal grumbled as he turned his oatmeal over for the hundredth time. He hadn't eaten anything, and I had a feeling it was because he thought it looked disgusting, and in reality it did, so I didn't blame him.

Shrugging, Shade leaned back in his chair and replied, "Kilorn is a bit of a showoff, always has been, has to make up for the size of something else."

I kicked him under the table and he grunted before glaring at me. I gestured with my head to Maggie who was gazing at the space between the two of us, definitely eavesdropping. He frowned at her, but ended up looking back to Cal and stating with a crooked grin, "try not to take it personal, you might get beat up a lot in the coming weeks."

"Fantastic, I look forward to it." Cal muttered again, his eyed hardening on his food again. I reached across the table and laid a hand on his, trying to comfort him, but he pulled his hand out from under mine and leaned back to avoid any physical contact with me. I stiffened and tried to hide my movement by brushing at some of the crumbs left over from last nights dinner off of the table. Cal crossed his arms, and glancing around the cavernous room inquired bitterly "So, what else do I have to look forward to?"

"Long truck rides," Shade replied as he took a huge spoonful of the oatmeal and shoveled it into his mouth. I saw Cal grimace at the sight and Shade chewed slowly before pointing his spoon at Cal threateningly and stating, "by the way, you better eat that, it's probably the only thing you'll get until dinner tonight, and you might not even get that."

Cal glanced down at it again and I saw him narrow his eyes at it again. He ended up just moving his spoon to the right a little bit and questioning again, "why long truck rides?"

"Farley gave the evacuation order, apparently, the base is ready to go and they're shipping out the mothers and kids with the Undertrain in parties of a hundred, and the soldiers are going by truck," Shade shoveled another spoonful in his mouth and I watched Maggie dip her finger in her food before sticking her finger in her mouth. I sighed and glared at my brother, trying to warn him to fix his manners before Maggie picked up worse habits, but Shade was on a role with trying to annoy Cal, because he pointed the spoon at Cal again, and a small bit of oatmeal slipped of the end and landed on the table top with a sickening plop. "And you and me are riding together, Farley wants to ride with us, and Mare, Mare's alway with me-"

"What about me?" Maggie cried, "I want to go with you too!"

"Of course Maggie, the more the merrier, you can ride in the back with Farley and the council," Shade replied with a smile, which made Maggie grin mischievously. I sighed and setting my chin on my fist I muttered, "there's not even enough room in the cabin for all three of us."

"Well you can either sit on Cal's lap, or he can sit in the back with the council." Shade offered as he scrapped the bottom of his bowl and swallowed the last of his breakfast. He set his bowl aside and leaning his elbows on the table, placed his fist inside of his hand and whispered, "in all seriousness though, rumor has it that something big is going on in the Silver Court."

"How did you hear that, you've been in the medical tent the past few days!" I exclaimed, as I watched Cal take a tentative bite of the oatmeal. I waited for him to turn green with disgust, but he ended up swallowing hesitantly and taking another bite. I applauded him silently for not grimacing as he swallowed before turning my attention back to my brother. Shade shrugged at my assessment and replied, "the ladies in there talk really loud, and they're the ones that monitor all the communication channels."

"What did they hear?" Cal inquired, for the first time dropping his superiority complex it seemed, as he leaned closer to hear what Shade had learned. My brother shrugged again, picked at a loose thread in the cuff of his shirt and muttered, "some thing about a calling in, and a big ball or something like that."

Cal's lips drew together in a line and he leaned back, his eyes pensive as he thought about what Shade had said. I pushed my cold breakfast away and insisted, "well that could be anything, let's be honest, Maven could hold a ball for anything he wanted."

"You said that the nurses mentioned a call in?" Cal inquired, as he ignored my comment, his eyes hardening on Shade as he met my brother's gaze. Next to him, Maggie reached for my bowl of oatmeal and pulled it toward herself before digging into what I had left. Shade watched her actions warily before deciding they were innocent and replied, "yeah, I thought it meant like a call to arms or something, bring more soldiers in for defense."

"No, it means something worse." Cal whispered, his face paling as he muttered, "I never thought he would be able to do it."

"Do what?" Maggie pipped up, her fingers digging into the oatmeal, and scooping it up. Cal glanced down at her, but unlike his previous severe reaction to Shade's lack of decorum, he sighed at her and instructed, "I don't think you should play with your food."

"Well, it's not _my_ food, it's Mare's." Maggie argued before throwing down a huge scoop of the sludgy mess onto the table. I winced and Shade looked between me and Cal before inquiring, "are you two going to take care of your child or am I going to have to step in?"

"I'm not _their_ child, Mare and Cal are just supposed to watch me and train me, that's what Farley said."Maggie argued again, her eyes narrowing as she tried to sculpt my breakfast into something on the table. I sighed and set my head in my hand.

After Farley and looked through the civilian roster for Maggie's parents, Cal and I had learned that she didn't have any, and had been snooping around the camp pretending to be other people's child until she'd run into me. After learning what she could do, which involved a very comical demonstration with one of the council members who was not paying attention, and a door, Farley decided that Cal and I were in charge of her.

Cal watched her with a bemused smile for a moment before turning back to Shade, a dark flash passing across his eyes as he brought us back to our originally conversation topic, "the call in is not used often," he moved his spoon around for a moment as if he were uncomfortable delivering the information, but eventually he sighed and continued, "it means that they are going to crown a member of the royal house, and the court is called in to be present."

"Oh," Shade replied, his eyes widening as he muttered, "but why wait so long to crown a king?"

"Maven was crowned the night my father-" Cal chocked unexpectedly, and I could tell he was hesitating to say the truth, but Shade already knew, everyone around him already was aware of what had happened. Shade waved his hand and covered for Cal's stumble quickly, "we are all well aware of the story. So if he's already crowned, then who are they crowning?"

"A Queen I suppose," Cal supplied, his eyes glazing as he muttered something under his breath. I tensed, and I was certain that the same name and face passed through both Cal's mind and my own. Sure enough, he glanced up at me and whispered, "I wouldn't be surprised if it's Evangeline, she may have been my betrothed, but the title isn't the only thing that transitions to the if the Crown Prince is removed."

Shade whistled softly and replied to Cal dour statement, "damn, so he not only stole your crown, but also your girl."

"Evangeline was never my _girl_ , and I never wanted her to be my girl in the first place. She was the most annoying person I ever had the misfortune of meeting." Cal commented dryly, while observing Maggie pull his bowl toward her and dumping it's contents on the table. She giggled to herself and continued her sculpture, and I groaned inwardly at how sticky her hands would be afterward, a bath was definitely in order for her.

Shade huffed and then leaning back in his chair he glanced around at all the people who were leaving the room slowly. He appeared to be thinking deeply about what Cal had said and for a moment a pang of fear turned my stomach to knots. If Evangeline became Queen then we wouldn't have to just get rid of Maven, we'd have to get rid of her too. As much as that thought sounded nice, it also made me queasy. How much blood were we going to spill before this was over, before I could sleep at night and not be plagued by Maven's sneer and Elara's invasive ability?

"There's nothing we can do anyway," Cal murmured, interrupting my thoughts and startling Shade who may have been thinking of a way to pull it off. My brother shrugged a final time, and then rising from the table, he passed me and patting Cal on the shoulder he stated simply, "don't be so pessimistic Silver, try to see the bright side."

He gave me a weak smile and with a salute he ordered, "packed and in the hanger by eight, I'm sure you two know how to get there?"

Cal snorted and rose from the table as well, apparently abandoning me with Maggie and her sloppy masterpiece, which she had finished and was trying to get my attention to show me. I glanced at her and winced at the mess she had made, and then with a grimace I assured her, "it's lovely Maggie, but let's eat our food next time."

She pursed her lips and Cal rustled her hair softly before turning and following Shade out of the mess hall. I watched his form retreat, and when I turned my gaze back to the table, I saw Maggie's eyes boring holes into the side of my head. I started at the intensity of her gaze, and with that same archaic voice that she used when her ability took over, she whispered, "he's just as hurt as you Mare, he needs you, he just won't tell you."

I opened my mouth to question her, but the moment had passed as soon as it had come, and suddenly she was a bubbly six year old again, kicking her chair away from the table and almost going to take off for Cal, before running around to me and crying to get me to hurry up.

I rose slowly, my mind running a thousand ways at once. Maggie hadn't been wrong yet, and if she was right this time then that meant that Cal had forgiven me, right? If he needed me, then he must trust me again to some extent, or maybe he felt like he needed to trust me. I groaned inwardly, Maggie was rarely clear when she mentioned things like this, and when I had asked her about it a few days ago, she had glanced at me and with a shrug had told me that she only saw flashes, and felt things briefly. It was like a shadow on a wall that vanished as soon as she tried to see it. When I'd asked Cal about it, he'd expressed that he had never seen a Whisperer train, and he had no idea if that was the extent of Maggie's ability.

My thoughts bounced around my head as I followed Maggie into the hallway and I watched her run her sticky hand all over her clean shirt. I didn't even notice her humming the same song that Cal and I had once danced to.

At eight, we were all present in the hanger, all the soldiers had been situated into parties of ten, and shuffled into the trucks. As I stood with Maggie off to the side, watching them all scrambled into the trucks, I looked around for Cal. I hadn't seen him since we had left our room earlier, and I was worried that he had slipped away. Maggie bounced on her toes next to me, looking around wildly as well, and I wondered for a moment if she were looking for Cal in the minds of those around her. As I looked around, I noticed Farley and the council arguing again, for what had to be the seventh time since we had entered the hanger.

Farley met my eye across the space, and beckoned me over to her, her eyes tired yet fiery, as she realized that the argument wasn't ending anytime soon. I sighed heavily, and setting my hand on Maggie's hair, silently asked her to stay put, I began to cross to Farley, my mind still buzzing with worry over Cal. He wouldn't just run off, he'd promised to stay with us.

Farley gave me a tired smile once I'd joined her, and for a moment, I saw how young she was, but the sight was replaced by her stoic expression again. Across from us, Shade was leaning against the back of the truck he would be driving, and he gave me a wink before turning his attention back to the man who had been speaking. I pursed my lips when I recognized the squirrel man, who I had learned was actually named Hector.

He was speaking quickly and trying to get the rest of the council to agree with his idea of traveling the shortest way to the bunker, the route that wouldn't require us to stop over night at one point. I sighed and tried not to roll my eyes at his arguing. He had been fighting his corner since Farley had given the evacuation order, at least that was according to Shade who appeared to dislike him as much as I did.

"It would be much safer if we traveled the shorter route, it's open highway yes, but it's faster, and we could get there sooner." He finished, before looking around at all the council member's faces, his expression triumphant when he saw that many of them were nodding their heads in agreement.

"I wouldn't recommend that."

I turned to see Cal arrive behind me, his expression cool as he glared Hector down. He stepped up next to me and crossing his arms loosely he spoke before Hector could argue, "it may seem appetizing, but open road is more dangerous that it appears. There's no cover, and if you want Snapdragons to take pot shots at you, then you can go ahead and take the open road."

Shade snickered from his position against the truck, and Hector glared at him before turning his fiery temper on Cal and hissing, "for all we know, you're leading us into a trap, and the open road _is_ safer."

"Oh, I definitely want to lead you all into an ambush while I'm in the group, because I want to get shot too." Cal huffed before continuing though the circle and tossing his bag into the back of the truck before climbing in. Shade watched him with a wide grin on his face, but eventually turned his face away to hide his silent laughter. Shaking his head at Cal's tone, my brother turned and walked around to get into the truck, his laughter finally loud enough to be heard. Hector swelled up to twice his size upon noticing that he was being mocked, and turning on Farley he spit, "so the Silver makes the decisions now?"

"I never made a decision, I made a _recommendation_ , there is a very big difference between those two things." Cal argued from inside the truck, his irritation at Hector's comment obvious as he stuck his head out to continue, "but you can be my guest and take the open road, I'd like to see how far you get."

Hector expelled a furious breath through his nose and the stormed over to the truck, and sticking his face in Cal's spit, "well, I suppose you would like to see us all killed."

Cal shrugged at his comment and replied casually, "actually, some of you I like, but you, I think I'm still trying to decide." He shrugged once again after his comment, as if it meant nothing, and then pulled away to speak with Shade who was up front, having a convulsion fit trying to hide his laughter. It looked like the rest of the council wasn't faring any better either. Farley grinned smugly at the older man, and I was having trouble stifling my laughter.

Hector merely stood in place, his jaw slack, and his face pale. Farley snorted upon seeing that he wasn't moving any time soon, and patting him on the shoulder, she pulled herself into the truck. She glanced down at her council once she was inside and with a nod ordered, "we have a lot of ground to cover before we stop for the night, so if anyone would like to continue arguing, you may stay behind, everyone else, in the truck."

I felt a tug on my hand and glanced down to see Maggie watching me with wide eyes. She motioned for me to bend down and when I was crouching next to her she cupped my ear with her hands and whispered, "Cal is being sassy today."

I laughed at her comment, and when I rise again to help her into the truck, I see Hector glaring at me suspiciously, as he hauls himself up. He takes his seat on the opposite side of Cal, and glares at him when Maggie runs and climbs up next to Cal, squeezing into the space between him and the wall. To my amusement, Cal ignores Hector and listens to Maggie whisper something hurriedly into his ear. I shake my head at them, hoping that the two of them don't cause too much trouble, and make my way around to the front.

Before I can open the door though, Farley appeared behind me, and with a grimace she muttered, "I need you to sit in the back and maintain some semblance of peace between the Hector and our Silver friend, they may go to blows."

Frowning at her analysis I let go of the door handle and inquire hesitantly, "where are we stopping for the night that Hector seems to oppose so much?"

Her lips turn down into a deep frown and as she passed me to open the door and climb in she whispered, "we have a mandatory stop for recruitment, there's a group of people who want to join." She doesn't elaborate anymore, and before I could question her again, she closed the door behind her. I sighed heavily, and making my way to the back of the truck, I hoped that this time, Farley actually knew who she was recruiting.

 _(/ **Cal** /)_

The ride was loud and bumpy, with the council whispering in hushed tones all around me, their eyes betraying their mistrust as they tried to pretend to be superior in their knowledge. Next to me, Mare was fiddling with her jacket again, tugging at fraying threads and trying to snap them. I watched her curiously for a moment, until she whispered stiffly, "didn't Lady Blonos teach you in etiquette that it's rude to stare?"

I grinned at her taunt and replied warmly, "she must have skipped that lesson, and apparently she skipped the fidgeting one with you, very complacent of her, then again, she was getting old." I add the last part as an after thought, hoping to get Mare to crack a smile. Instead of laughing though, she gave me a raised brow, her eyes hardly humorous. She rolled her eyes after staring me down for a few moment, and then went back to picking at her jacket cuff.

Maggie tugged on my sleeve, and when I glanced down at her she leaned toward me and inquired, "why do you wear these?" She reached out to touch one of my bracelets, and I almost pulled away, an old habit that would probably never die. My bracelets were more important than my existence, and when I thought I'd lost them when I was younger, I had gotten a licking from Aryven that was enough to make me never let anyone touch them again. Maggie appeared to not notice my flinch though, her fingers stroking the metal softly while she inquired, "they don't feel smooth, are they carved?"

Mare perked up in the corner of my vision and I watched Maggie reach for the other one to run her fingers along it. "Yes," Maggie glanced up at me, her expression curious as I continued, "I used to have trouble sleeping on the front lines, so I would carve into them."

Maggie's head tilted to the side and she whispered softly, almost hesitantly, "can I hold one?"

A part of me that had been conditioned to never take them off, unless I was sleeping, hissed at the back of my mind and the memory of being without them for so long burned in my heart. Forcing it down though, I reminded myself that this was Maggie, and that Mare had promised me that no one would ever take them from me without my permission. I unlatched one of them, and reached out to open Maggie's palm before I slipped it into her grip. She tucked her arm against her chest, and with gentle fingers she touched each part of the contraption in her hand, and with an awe inspired whisper she stated, "it's so heavy!"

Across from us, the squirrel man snorted, loud enough to draw Maggie's attention, and Mare instantly turned to glare at him. He was, by that point in time, getting on my nerves, his comments, and impish tendencies turning into grueling traits. He huffed upon seeing Mare's expression and with a condescending tone stated, "how sweet, a Silver befriending a Red child, next thing you know, you'll be kissing the children, and building homes along side us."

"Hector, do try to be more understanding," a woman scolded next to him. She was in her early twenties, of a definite Asian decent, with silky black hair, and almond skin that had been darkened by years under a grueling sun. She offered me a smile and replied, "we are all very grateful that you decided to join us, my name is Maribel, I'm the information technician for us."

"An information technician?" Mare questioned incredulously, abandoning her stand off with Hector to turn her questing gaze on the young woman. Maribel gave her a warm smile but was interrupt by Hector who stated gruffly, "it's a fancy term for a computer technician."

Marebel glared at him and then hissed, "I do a lot more than that, for starters," she glanced at Mare and with a cheeky grin recited, "your name is Mare Molly Barrow, you were born and raised in the Stilts, for a time you were under the alias of Mareena Titanos, both parents of said House deceased, and you spent a lot of time as child running around the Black Market with your friend Kilorn, who you've known since you were six, stealing anything you could get your hands on. You've had only one arrest for this, which involved an extremely valuable bracelet you stole off of a Sentinel who reported it missing," Mareble frowned as if she were recalling something and then muttered, "two days in a detention cell, I believe for that one, you got lucky they didn't kill you on the spot, but you were eight and I guess the Sentinel had a soft side."

Mare blinked, her stare both curious and uncomfortable, as I'm sure anyone would feel if they'd had their whole life recited in front of everyone. "It was three days actually," Mare stuttered, before glancing away, her face bright red. Marebel frowned and then insisted, "they didn't count the day for kicking the guard across the jaw when he tried to put you in the cell."

"So you were always this feisty?" I inquired, and Mare shot me a venomous glare, her eyes like fire as she insisted, "I missed anyway." Her expression turned soft when she realized I had been teasing her, and she glanced away to look out the back of the truck, as the rocky landscape turned into dense forest.

She shied away from me when I nudged her to get her attention again, and turned to speak to one of the council members, apparently deciding to ignore me. Her distance drove another notch into the frayed strands our fracturing relationship. She had every right to keep her distance though, I'd silently told her to for the past week. I didn't need her knowing how broken I was too, how lost and unsure. If she saw that, she would be gentle, she would try to care again, and I couldn't have her doing that. If she cared, then I would start to care again too, and we would just end up ripping each other to shreds again. She couldn't risk it, but knowing Mare, she would, and she would do it the same way a thousand times over, and never regret it.

Hours later, the sun was just beginning to set, and the band of trucks slowly rolled to a halt. I cracked an eye open, and turned my neck slightly. It spasmed painfully, and I jerked my hand up to massage it, feeling the pull of the muscles as they relaxed. Maggie shifted in my lap, her body curling up against me as she nuzzled her head into my leg. Everyone else was waking up as well, having sensed the halt of the engine.

I glanced down at Mare to wake her, and froze when I saw her head resting on my shoulder, her eyes still closed as she breathed deeply. She stirred upon feeling the change in her headrest, and her eyelids fluttered open as she rubbed at one of her eyes. She glanced up at me, her eyes like melted chocolate as she blinked the last touches of sleep out of them. Her cheeks flushed red once she had noticed what she had been sleeping against, and she mumbled an apology before reaching down to wake Maggie.

The young girl protested immediately and ended up turning herself around to curl up on the bench. Mare sighed at her antics and stretching her hands above her head to pull herself away form me more, she mumbled, "where are we?"

Outside of the truck, dusk was steadily arriving, tendrils of light barely making it across the sky as the sun descended. Across from us, Maribel stood and leaped out of the back of the truck, her silky hair following her in a dark curtain as she turned the corner of the truck. Behind her, the other trucks had begun to unload. Soldiers running around like ants on assembly lines, dividing the equipment and setting up the camp. Mare's lips dropped into a tight line as if she had recognized something, but before I could question her, she had climbed out of the truck. Maggie finally stirred and sitting up she rubbed her eyes and mumbled about being tired still. I reached out and smoothed down her curls while I watched Mare rush toward Farley and Maribel who were whispering quietly. As soon as she reached them, she questioned them hurriedly, her fury barely concealed.

I frowned as I rose and climbed out of the truck as well. Maggie made of a soft crying sound and reached out for me, her hands grabbing at empty air. Without even glancing her way, I reached my arms out and she slipped into them, wrapping her arms around my neck, and her legs around my middle. I went to set her on the ground, my eyes watching Mare curiously as she seemed to reprimanded Farley and receive an answer she didn't want to hear, but Maggie clung to me tighter and complained that she didn't want to walk.

Mare threw her hands in the air and hissed something, and that only heightened my sense that something was very wrong with the situation. I crouched down and pulling Maggie's arm from around my shoulders I ordered, "stay here, something's wrong."

She went to argue and whine, but I had already left and set my course for Mare. As I glanced around me, I felt a tightening in my stomach as I began to recognize some of the trees around us. They were too artificial, and as I glanced over the tops, I could see a heavy cloud of smoke in the distance.

"We're too close, you're out of your mind bringing us this close to-"

"We're no where near close to the Capital, trust me Barrow, everything is fine." Farley argued calmly as I managed to catch the end of the argument. I could still feel the burning of fire in my insides as I accused her though, "you brought us to the Smoke? Do you have any idea how closely watched this place is?"

Farley turned her fiery gaze on me upon noting my presence, and with a tight frown she argued, "we are a notable distance from Archeon, and I have had scouts mixed in with the Techies for months, I have to get them out now."

"How, do you plan to march an army in and retrieve them?" I hissed, gesturing with a sweeping hand to her ill-equipped band. She followed my motion and with an even tone insisted, "I'm taking a small group in to retrieve them, there are only three scouts and all of them are close together, easy to find-"

"And what if it's a trap, you would risk getting killed for three spies?" I insisted, hoping to catch her on her heels, but Farley is a master at the cat and mouse game, having stood on both sides of it herself. She narrowed her eyes at my comment and inquired, "would you not do the same _Silver_?"

Mare glanced to me momentarily, but I saw her turn away quickly, trying to hide her suspicion. Setting my jaw, I tried not to fall prey to Farley's comment, but she had made her point, and she was right. I wouldn't risk the lives of a whole rescue party for three, important spies of not.

As if sensing her victory, Farley squared her shoulders and finished the argument swiftly, "I'm taking a small group of six in, you have the decision to go or not, but I want to know before dark." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away to gather six stupidly brave souls. Maribel sighed and raising her eyes to meet mine she whispered, "one of them supposedly has information that can change the tide for us, that's why she's so desperate."

"What information is so important that it can't be wired through a safe channel?" I hissed, bitter that Farley had scored a mark against me, and furious that Mare would probably drag me into this somehow. I glanced at Mare as I thought that, wondering if she was considering it, but she was watching Maggie play in the mud over by the truck. She glanced at me though, for a fraction of a second and I saw in that brief moment that she was so very uncertain of this idea.

Maribel sighed and running a hand through her hair she insisted, "you can't wire people, that's the problem."

" _People_?" Mare questioned, her gaze rotating to the young technician. Her brow was raised in speculation and she crossed her arms against the coming chill in the air. Maribel sighed again and leaning toward us she whispered, "New Bloods, people like you, Mare. There are three of them, all safely tucked away in the Smoke."

 **A/N:**

 **Ah yes, another chapter, definitely shorter than the previous ones, but we had some very important topics in this one, hope you caught them! ;)**

 **Anyway, 2 questions for this chapter!**

 **1\. Are you excited to meet some new New Bloods? (I know I am, and they are going to play a huge part in Cal's transition into the Scarlet Guard)**

 **2\. What do you think of Maggie's prying into Cal's secrets, do you think she's doing it on accident, or do you think she knows what he needs to talk about and get off his chest around Mare?**


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

We rode into Gray Town in a single truck under the cover of night. The stars were blotted out by the heavy clouds of pollution above our heads, and I tried not to imagine the boat ride when I had first set my eyes on the terrible place we were about to enter. It wafted across me though like a haze, and all I could think about was Maven's hand wrapped around my own as he promised to never hurt me, to never let anyone else hurt me, _to never lose me_. Next to me, Cal leaned toward me and whispered in my ear, "remember everything we've gone over and you should be fine, I won't let anything happen to you."

I glanced at him gratefully, my hand sliding around his wrist and squeezing softly, as I whispered, "I've got your back too."

We shared a careful glance, one that was filled with the same promise. I remembered vividly the same look passing between us as we prepared to enter the Bowl of Bones. My stomach turned as I saw the flash of Cal's protective nature enter his eyes as he slipped his wrist out of my grip slightly so that his fingers were interwoven with mine. He squeezed softly, as he remembered too, before pulling his hand out of mine and turning to face the opposite bench again.

A young solider sat across from us, his hands shaking as he tried to hide them in his lap. Cal watched him for the span of the few heart beats before inquiring, "nervous?"

His eyes snapped up to meet Cal's and with a grimace he nodded weakly, his eyes pulling away suddenly. With a smile at his action, Cal titled his head to the side and reassured, "if it's any consolation, I'm nervous too."

"I thought Silver's didn't get nervous." He replied, his eyes turning to bore into Cal again. Shrugging at his assessment, Cal turned to look out at the fleeting woods, his eyes hardening as he whispered, "I thought so too."

The truck's wheels caught traction with something other than dirt, and the tires screeched as they landed on asphalt. Next to me, Cal set his hand on my knee and leaned toward me, his lips almost brushing the tip of my ear as he whispered, "stay close to me, I have a bad feeling about this."

My skin burned as he pulled away and I glanced out at the dark, empty streets, grateful for the cool air that rushed into the truck and cooled my burning cheeks. The heat that rolled off of Cal was stunning. It wrapped around me, but didn't stifle, didn't smoother, it seemed to support me. Just being near him was enough to make me feel safe, I didn't need him to tell me anything else. I wondered if he felt the same way, if just being near me was enough to chase away all of his doubts.

Glancing at his face sideways, I couldn't discern anything different. His jaw was set tightly, and his eyes stared straight ahead, as if he were already running through scenarios and the possible outcomes. A soldier through and through, it didn't seem like he would ever be the type to be nervous, even before we were pushed into the arena, he didn't seem the least bit affected by our fate. Even now, after we had argued about going on the mission for twenty minutes, he was determined to succeed.

The truck pulled to a stop, and the silence of the city around us pressed in. We had pulled into a small alley space, where unsteady buildings rose up around us like disgruntled shadows. The soldiers peeled out into the darkness like scarlet shadows, and stood at position, eyeing the empty street. Farley rose from behind us, already pulling her mask on. It managed to cover most of her face, but the tip of her scar that poked through made it look like she was sneering. She glanced down at me and Cal, taking in our proximity, and I'm sure the lack of fear. She frowned and then reaching into her pocket, pulled out a scarlet colored scarf and tossed it at Cal. He caught it and unfolding it, he glanced at it suspiciously before looking up at her with a raised brow.

Underneath her mask I could see Farley smiling sarcastically as she insisted, "put it on, you're a part of the Guard now, you have to look the part."

Cal frowned as Farley leaped out of the truck and into puddle which sloshed underneath her boots. I watched her, eager to find these New Bloods, and as I went to stand I glanced at Cal who was trying to tie the scarf properly. Sighing, I walked around and took the ends out of his hands, and ignoring his protests, I tied it tightly. When I was done, I smacked the back of his head playfully and teased, "you're welcome."

He glared up at me, and I smiled as I pulled my scarf up from around my neck, and pulled my hood up as well. He frowned as he pulled his up as well, and followed me out of the truck. We landed in the mud and Farley looked us over, her eyes tracing Cal for a lot longer than usual before she admitted, "not bad, you actually look like one of us."

Cal rolled his eyes obviously and muttered, "can we hurry this up, this thing itches."

Farley smiled wickedly under her mask and turned to approach the main street. We followed her with two soldiers, their eyes cold as they scanned the balconies above our heads. Their guns were trained low, but I could see their fingers resting on the trigger, and my stomach turned as I realized that this wasn't just any mission, this was a rescue mission concerning the future of the Scarlet Guard.

The smoke that settled through the streets blanketed the corners, and covered the shadows, making it impossible to discern things. Next to me, Cal's eyes flitted left and right, taking in everything. Every time I glanced at him, he looked like he was in pain, like something was digging into a wound and he was trying to ignore it.

We paused in an alleyway, and Farley went ahead with one of the soldiers, giving us the silent signal to stay put. I watched her vanish into the smoke, and with a shiver, I glanced at Cal and breathed, "are you okay?"

He pulled his eyes away from the muddy ditch to our right and hissed, "it was never this bad, I-I always was under the impression that it was never this bad."

My heart stung for him, for the realizations that were still to come, of the children hiding in boxes from the rain, of families with empty tables, and mothers that cried over their sons bodies when they came back in a box to mangled to tell if it was even their own. I reached out and set a hand on his shoulder, squeezing softly to try and reassure him. He glanced at me, his eyes filled with pain, and for a moment I could see him trying to say something, but the words left him, and he bowed his head instead.

Next to us, the guard shifted unexpectedly, and raised his gun. I followed his gaze warily, my stomach turning as I realized that he had seen something we hadn't. The guards wary gaze was on the rooftops, his eyes trained on some distant point in the smoke. I leaned out from our hideaway to see what was coming, but Cal pulled me back and covered my head as a loud boom sounded overhead. I gasped at the sound, recalling the footage they had shown us in school of bombers decimating the Choke, and bodies being thrown everywhere as the monstrous contraptions landed.

When Cal allowed me to lift my head, I saw that everything was still the same, there was no destruction. My heart pounded in my chest and Cal whispered hurriedly to the Guardsmen, "we need to move, they know that we're here."

"Farley's instructions were to stay-"

"I don't care if she told you to plant your feet into the ground, if we stay we're going to die when that Snapdragon comes back around!" Cal argued, his voice rising in magnitude as he yanked me to my feet and pulled the guard to his as well. He yanked his arm out of Cal's grip and raising his gun to point it at Cal's chest he spit, "don't even try it Silver, I know what you're doing."

"Saving you life?" Cal spit as he grabbed the barrel of the gun and shoved it down, his eyes on fire it seemed. The air between them jumped in temperature and I saw the guard panic, his eyes widen as he took in his opponent who a few inches taller and much heavier. He lowered the gun slowly, and with a sneer in Cal's direction, he spit, "run then Silver, run like the coward your kind is."

For a moment, Cal looked seriously wounded, like the comment had dug into another wound, but a heart beat later, he was the seasoned soldier and grabbing my arm in a vice-like grip, he pulled me toward the road in the direction Farley had taken. I tried to pull away but the roar of another Snapdragon overhead spurred me on with him. We took cover behind a broken cart and I watched a orange and silver airjet speed overhead, and as it took off into the distance, the same echoing boom followed.

"They're making rounds." Cal whispered, his hand slipping to the small of my back. I glanced at him curiously, more for the position of his hand than anything else, but before I could question him, he gave me a strong shove in the direction of the building across from us. I stumbled out into the street and ducked into the alcove, my boots sloshing through water and mud. He followed me quickly, his eyes watching the alleyway we had occupied a few minutes ago. I could see the Guardsman watching us too, his eyes wide and curious all at the same time. From down the way, there was splashing, and Cal yanked me into the shadows, his arms wrapping around me as we squished into the tiny space.

A patrol of Silver Guards marched by, their hands empty of weapons, but that didn't mean they weren't armed to the teeth. I tensed against Cal, and he inhaled sharply in my ear when he saw the ensign on their uniforms, and as the last of them passed, I saw it too. The Shadow Legion was here, and they were looking for us.

The Guardsman across from us turned and ran back the way we had come, his footfalls echoing along the alley. A hiss of panic escaped through Cal's teeth, as the Legion members all turned in the direction of the sound and began to pursue it. I tugged against Cal's grip and chocked, "we have to help him!"

"It's too late," Cal warned, his breath surprisingly cold against my ear. I yanked myself out of his grip and glaring up at him, I spit, "it's _never_ too late, just because you wouldn't do it-"

There was a scream of agony followed by cries for mercy. I flipped around to look in the direction of the alley as the sound of painful cries crescendoed. My stomach turned and Cal pulled me back into the shadows as the sounds grew silent suddenly. Hot tears spilled down my cheeks and they stung my eyes when they mixed with the smoke around us. Silently, Cal slipped his arms around me again, and gently pulled me deeper into the shadows, his voice surprisingly soft as he whispered, "we need to go, they'll be looking for accomplices."

With that, I let him lead me away, taking broken down walls as back exits and crouching in alleyways when patrols marched by. The whole time though, all I could think about was what the Silver's would do if they found me and Cal.

It could have been hours later when we ran into one of the guards that had left with Farley earlier. His uniform was still immaculate, and he seemed more surprised to see us than we were to see him, considering the fact that we crashed into him while sprinting around a corner. He took in our torn and dirty uniforms, and then glanced behind us, probably for his comrade. I shook my head softly, hoping to break it to him gently that his friend was dead.

He took in my expression, and inhaled shakily, his eyes closing in agony as he turned away from us. When he looked back up at us, his eyes were steel and he motioned of us to follow him. His steps were measured and sure, but I could see the slump in his shoulders, and his pain radiated through me, burning my throat and almost bringing tears to my eyes again. He led us through a single alley to a small box of a building, with a door that was metal and rusting. He yanked on the handle and ushered us inside the tiny space before closing the door behind him, successfully locking us in the building with him.

The lights flickered overhead and I looked down the long hallway, my eyes trying to adjust to the light as the guard pushed his way between us and began to lead us down the hallway, his footfalls hollow on the metal. I followed him, trying to ignore the sudden chill that made me want to wrap my arms around myself.

The walls were slick with water that seemed to leak in through the floor above our heads, and there was a soft drip of water that suggested the same thing. Cal looked around warily, taking every detail in, and I hoped, memorizing them, so that when we put him on that cursed throne again he would fix this. I watched him as we walked, but he showed no sign that this was creating some grand revelation, it seemed as if he had seen enough today. But the more we traveled, the more I wanted him to see, the more I wanted to spit in his face sometimes and curse his whole family for the misery they put people like me and my family through just because we were different from them.

The Guardsmen paused at a door near the end of the hallway, and standing at attention next to it, he motioned for us to enter. With a steady hand, that I was forcing to stay that way, I grabbed the door handle and pushed the door open. It creaked open, and we immediately entered a scene of quiet chaos.

An older man was shoving things off of the shelves, and a middle aged woman was standing over a stack of papers, dousing it in what looked like kerosene. In the other corner, Farley was ripping pages out of books and shoving them into her jacket. When she glanced over her shoulder at us, she paused, the panic in her eyes rising in magnitude, as if our presence seemed to cement the fact that we were running out of time. She threw the book she was ripping papers out of into the pile of gasoline doused items, her eyes on fire as she turned to us.

"They knew we were coming." Cal whispered, his eyes betraying none of the softness in his voice. Farley seemed to bristle at his observation, but hung her head none-the-less and replied, "we were betrayed, one of our spies was a mole from the beginning, feeding the Silver's information on us, what little I gave him that is."

The woman turned from her task, and with a huff, threw the empty gasoline canister to the side. She was a stout woman with graying hairs at her temples, and eyes so gray they looked like they were fading into nothing. She glanced at Cal warily and insisted, "you should all leave, Hugo and I can handle the rest."

"What about the New Bloods, where are they?" I took a step toward her, glancing around for a door that led somewhere else, or maybe a curtain that was separating a room from us. She narrowed her eyes and with a flick of her head, motioned behind me to a set of rickety stairs. "They're fine, tucked up there, nice and safe. We put them up there after the searches got to be too in depth."

"What do you mean? The searches are only for property, not people." Cal argued, his hackles rising as the woman subtly inferred something else to the man standing behind her, still ripping things off the shelves. When she glanced back at Cal, her eyes were hard as steel, and she seemed to be the only person besides Farley to not melt under his fiery gaze. "A few weeks ago the king ordered all children tested, a simple blood test. Then the kids started disappearing. A family would get a visit from the Sentinels, and a few hours later, the kid would be gone."

"He's looking for them." I breathed, my hand closing around the pocket inside of my jacket instinctually. I could feel the hard spine of the book, and just knowing that it was safe was enough to calm me. Cal's eyes narrowed and turning away he glanced at the pile of paperwork and books, all that were set to be burned apparently. In the corner of my eye, I swore that I saw him shudder as he thought about what Maven might be doing. His little bother was no longer the same boy he had grown up with, there was an edge now, something that grated at him a little more every day.

Slipping my arm around his to pull him out of his reprieve, I tugged him toward the staircase and whispered, "we have to get them out, it's three less that he gets his hands on." My stomach churned though, how many had Maven taken, who was left? He was playing games again, and once more, he was three steps ahead of me, three huge bounds ahead, already looking back to laugh at me.

The landing at the top of the stairs creaked with every step, and below us, I could see Farley and the two spies rushing around, and glancing out of the curtain drawn windows. Behind me, Cal reached out and leaning against the wall, shifted the ratted curtain next to us aside. His eyes narrowed as he took in the scene, and with a grimace he whispered to himself more than me, "exits are marked."

He slipped the curtain closed again, and glanced at me wearily, it was going to be a whole other battle just to get the kids out. Internally, I thanked whatever God was above us that there were only three, any more, and we would have had serious problems.

I nodded, accepting his gaze, and silently assuring him that I heard what he had said. My hand shook as I reached out and opened the door into the only room on the landing. It creaked on its hinges and the bottom scraped against the floor as I stepped in. At a first glance the room was barren, with few personal item, not even a sign that someone was living in it, let alone three kids. I frowned as I traced a finger over the dust on the dresser next to the door, and maneuvered out of the doorway so that Cal could enter.

As soon as he was in the room, the door slammed closed, and I flipped around in shock to see the scene slowly dissolving in front of us, like an oil painting that had been doused in water. Something snapped at my knees and I screamed as I went down, my elbow catching Cal across the arm as I tried to grab onto the dresser to prevent my fall. I ended up landing on my back still, and something grabbed my foot and dragged me into the center of the room. A shadow passed across my vision and I heard Cal shout out in pain as something hit him too.

The curtain in front of the window was yanked closed, and I was bathed in a sudden light after the darkness had settled, my eyes snapping shut to avoid the burning sensation. Instinctively, I raised my hands to cover my face, but another smaller set grabbed my wrists, while someone else yanked my mask off.

"Should have known, it's the Guard." Hissed a young voice, and immediately, the hands holding me down, disappeared. I squinted against the light, and my eyes widened when I saw what was causing it. Standing above me was a teenage boy, with dark caramel skin, his eyes like emerald fire. In his hand though, was a ball of flame, so bright it was practically blinding in the darkness around him. Behind him, holding what looked vaguely like a shovel was a girl a little older than him, with the same complexion, but dark eyes. Upon seeing my surprised expression, she lowered the shovel and glanced over her shoulder to hiss at someone else, "it's alight Chelsea, you can drop him."

When I followed her gaze, I could see Cal pinned up against the far wall by nothing, but slowly, the air to his right melted again and a young girl stood there, no older than the other teenagers. She had dark, almost auburn hair, with bright blue eyes that seemed to shine in the dark. With a slow hand, she released Cal's jacket and let him land ungracefully on his feet. The boy extinguished the flame, and a moment later, held out his hand to help me up. I took it gratefully, and whispered my thanks as he yanked me too my feet. His eyes winked mischievously and he muttered, "you should have just announced yourselves before coming in, we thought you guys were Silvers coming to get us."

I sighed and rubbing the back of my head where it had hit the floor, I frowned at him. Behind him, the girl threw her shovel to the side, and looked me over, her gaze strangely unsettling, it was almost like a cat's.

Her eyes widened as she took me in without my mask and then with an awe inspired whisper she said, "you-you're Mare Barrow, the Little Lightening Girl." Immediately, she held her hand out, as if I were some idol she was star struck to meet. "My name is Zaryn, and this is my little brother Torin, and I see your friend has already met Chelsea."

Cal grumbled something while he straightened out his jacket and Torin gave him a wary stare before holding his hand out for me to shake. His grip was firm and warm, like Cal's in every way possible, and I couldn't help but smile at the coincidence. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and pulling away suddenly, he growled, "what's so funny?"

"Nothing," I admitted innocently, "it's just that, my friend is also a burner." I smiled over at Cal who crossed the room to shake hands with Zaryn. She smiled up at him, her cheeks flushing a little. Her brother made a face next to her, but shook Cal's hand none-the-less. Chelsea blended into the shadows behind them, her features obscured by the broken shafts of light. She hadn't spoken a word since we had been introduced and I had a feeling it was going to stay that way for a little while.

The door opened before I could question them any further, and Farley stepped in, her features still obscured by the mask. She noticed our small circle, and with a huff grumbled, "hate to break us the love fest, but we have a problem in the form of a Silver legion outside."

Chelsea's eyes widened and Zaryn looked panicked for a moment, her skin turning pale, as she grabbed her brother's hand. He looked down at in disgust, and pulling it away he mumbled, "geez Zar, I don't need you holding my hand all the time."

She glared at him, her lips pursing as she reached out a motherly hand and wiped a smudge of grim above his eyebrow. He pushed her hands away and went to wipe at himself, licking his palm before rubbing it across her brow. She rolled her eyes lovingly, but her gaze hardened quickly as she glanced at Farley and instructed, "there's an old fire escape out back, we could climb out and take the alley."

The door downstairs banged in and I heard the woman scream in fury as something shattered. Smoke suddenly wafted up from the fire's the spies had no doubt started, and Cal grabbed my arm, his grip like a vice as he yanked me toward the window and shouted, "no time to argue, we take the fire escape."

Zaryn followed up quickly, her eyes wide as she watched Cal grab the window pane and yank it up, the glass shattering as the pane hit the top. A small shard fell and cut across Cal's hand, and he cried out as he grabbed at his hand in pain. A few pearls of silver life rolled out from under his fingers and fell on the floor in splotches. Torin let out a cry of horror, and his arms lighting up with fire as he shouted, "you're a Silver, you led them to us!"

"Shut up and get out the window!" Farley screamed as she shoved Chelsea toward it, and almost pushed Zaryn out. The girl let out a squeak of terror as she stumbled out and almost fell, Chelsea and Farley followed her and I reached out to grab Torin, but pulled back when I saw his arms still laced with fire. He sneered at Cal and spit, "you-you traitor-"

"Just get out the damn window." Cal hissed and reaching out with his uninjured hand, he wrapped it around Torin's arm, completely ignoring the fire, and with a heave, yanked him out the window completely. The door into the room banged on it's hinges, and I flipped around to see that Farley had pushed the dressed up against the door while we had been scrambling to the window. It tipped precariously though as the Silver's tried to kick the door in. Cal grabbed my arm next, his touch like fire as he whispered, "ladies first."

"Not on my life, get out the window-" I started to argue, but the door exploded inward, and the dresser flew away from it, and would have smashed into me had Cal not yanked me out of the way. As the dust settled, a single Silver stormed into the room, his gun raised and his gaze set immediately on us. I backed up against the window and Cal held his hand out, showing the blood to the young man, before yanking his mask off to reveal his features. "Don't shoot, hold your fire!" He shouted, his eyes widening, and for a single moment, the young man took him in and his eyes widened in recognition. The gun wavered and in that moment, Cal wrapped his arm around my waist and threw us both out the window.

It was a free fall for a few seconds, and my mind raced, as I heard the splatter of bullets on the wall, as the Silver's shouted in fury at our escape. Cal hit the grating first, his back shoulder popping painfully from what I could hear. He spit out a curse word, and as my body hit his, all the air in his body left his lungs in a gasp of pain. I rolled off of him immediately, grabbing at his shoulder to see how wounded it was. He gasped and pushing my hand away spit, "it's not that bad, _just go_."

"They're on the fire escape!" One of the Silver's shouted, and Cal rolled to his knees before pressing me up against the railing. Below us, I could see Farley and the others climbing down a rickety ladder to the ground, and she glanced up to see our progress before letting go of the last rung and landing on her feet.

"Over the railing Barrow, now!" Cal shouted, and I let out a squeak of surprise at the ferocity in his tone as I spun myself over the railing and grabbed the first rung, my hands shaking as I climbed down as fast as possible. Above me, I could see Cal struggling down, trying to favor his shoulder while also climbing, his face a grimace of agony as he tried to not look down at how far we had to go.

The Silver's by now had amassed enough people, and were starting to make their way out the window. Why they hadn't shot us yet, I had no idea. I assumed it was because Maven wanted us alive, and had Cal not shown his identity, I had a feeling we would both be lying up against the wall inside, riddled with bullets, bleeding out.

My foot slipped on the last rung as I thought about this, and I fell the last few feet, my cry echoing in the alley as I tumbled. My body never hit the ground though, and I when I opened my eyes as crack, I could see Zaryn holding her hand out, her expression fearful as she cried, "are you okay?"

I nodded weakly, and she let me fall the last few inches onto my backside, I let out a breath of relief, and climbing to my feet, watched Cal leap down, ignoring the last four rungs. He landed with cat like grace oh his feet and nodding toward the alley he ordered, "into the shadows, run and don't look back."

Chelsea took off at a dead sprint behind Farley, her dark hair vanishing into the smoke as Zaryn grabbed Torin's hand and yanked him after her. Following them, I weaved around broken down carts and rubble, her heart pounding as I glanced back every few second to make sure Cal was still keeping up. He would grit his teeth every time I did, and bark at me to forget about him and run. Ahead of me, Farley had chosen a winding path through the maze of the Gray Town, and I couldn't tell if she was leading us deeper into it, or back to the truck. At the moment though, it didn't matter, because I could almost feel the Silver's behind us, could almost hear their boot falls as the pounded down the alley after us.

After an hour of running, Farley stopped and waved us into an abandoned doorway, her breath rapid as she glanced overhead. Zaryn, Torin, and Chelsea all crouched down in the shadows, their eyes wide with fear and horror as they looked left and right for more Silver's. I joined them, with Cal not far behind him, his breathing more ragged than Farley's as he leaned up against the wall and clutched at his shoulder. Overhead, I heard the roar of a Snapdragon, and I watched as it soared over head, cutting through the smoke like a bird of prey. It fired a quick round of bullets into the buildings and I watched as some of them caught fire, or glass exploded from windows with the explosion. Torin let out a moan of fear, and Zaryn elbowed him, her voice surprisingly teasing as she warned, "you were the one who always talked about going to the front lines, well, here's you chance."

He glared at her, his expression sour, but he quickly ducked closer to her as another Snapdragon screamed overhead and rained another round of bullets down, this time much closer to our hide away. The rooftops over head splinted as tiles rained down, and Cal pulled me farther in as a few chunks fell in the same place I had been standing. Glancing back at us, Farley swallowed heavily and choked, "they have the city surrounded, we can't-"

"We have to keep moving," Cal hissed, as the earlier Snapdragon returned with a vengeance, pounding the area above our heads once more. For a moment, I saw the first real trace of fear on Farley's face as she looked out of the alley at the open plaza we would have no choice but to cross. Cal noticed the only option as well, and with a grunt of pain, pushed himself off the wall. He maneuvered himself to Farley and grabbing her arm, hissed in her ear, "we go one at a time, with a space of five second between us."

She nodded weakly, and then straightening her shoulders, glanced up to see if there were any Snapdragons approaching before she tucked her head down and sprinted across. Her form vanished into the alleyway across the fifty meter space, and with a smile of triumph she looked back and saluted. Reaching down, Cal grabbed Chelsea and ordered, "you next."

She shook like a leaf in his grip, but when he gave her a shove, I saw her vanish from sight, only to reappear on the other side of the street next to Farley. She smiled back and pumped her fist in the air. Her excitement was contagions, because Zaryn leaped to her feet, eager to prove herself, and stepped up next to Cal. He held her arm tightly, and when he released her, she sprinted across the open space, sliding in the mud to a stop next to her friend, who she embraced. Cal went to grab Torin next, who shook his head and backed away quickly, his eyes wide with fear. I stepped in front of him, my hand closing around Cal's arm as I gave him a weak smile, my eyes already set on my close goal. Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself to run, and when Cal set his hand on my lower back and gave me a push, I leaped out.

Even though the distance was short, I felt like running across a vast open field. My lungs burned for release, but I didn't dare breath until I had entered the other alleyway. Across the way, I saw Cal arguing with Torin, who looked like he wasn't budging, even if a patrol of Silver's arrived behind them that very second. Cal shook his head, and glancing up at the sky, he waited a few more seconds before sprinting across the open space. He slipped in the mud when arrived, and I caught him before he could fall, my hands pulling him into the shadows. He stumbled into me, and he caught us up against the wall, before glancing down at me and whispering a thank you. I smiled at him weakly, and we all looked over at Torin who looked like he wanted to run across but couldn't bring himself to. He made to run, but pulled back, only to repeat the cycle again. Zaryn narrowed her eyes and cupping her mouth with her hands she hissed across the space, "just go you big baby! We're all fine, and you'll be fine too!"

He bounced on his toes, and I saw him take a hesitant step out. In the distance I heard a familiar roar, and I gasped as I shouted at him, "Torin, stay!"

But it was too late, he had already started out, and as if hearing my warning, Zaryn looked up at the sky and her eyes took in the approaching form of the Snapdragon. Her eyes turned to her brother who was running across the space, an easy target for the incoming airjet.

Time seemed to slow for a moment as the familiar pounding of bullets hitting the ground sounded, and Torin froze to watch them approach him. Zaryn let out a scream as she leaped out of the alley, Cal's hand reached out to grab her, but she had slipped through his grip, and we had no choice but to watch in horror as she sprinted across the space to her brother.

I had seen accidents happen in the Stilts all the time, beams falling out of place and cracking someone across the head, carts swept away in floods, people stumbling home after getting caught in the early spring floods before being swept away. Every time, I could never look away, and now was no different.

Zaryn pushed her bother out of the way as the bullets ran up her body. She seemed to stand in place for a moment, her eyes wide in surprise, her mouth open in one last cry of her brother's name, but it was drowned out by the Snapdragon racing by overhead. She collapsed then, like a puppet with it's strings cut, her eyes still wide and glassy as she hit the ground. A few feet away, stunned, but alive, Torin rolled over to see his sister lying in a pool of her own blood. He let out a scream of agony and crawled to her, his hands yanking her into his arms as he sobbed. Overhead, the Snapdragon seemed to see that he was still alive, and it banked to come back around.

Falrey let out a cry to terror, and as she went to leap out and make a run for Torin, Cal yanked her back into the shadows, his face a mask of pain, as he sprinted out himself. He crossed the square quickly, and grabbing Torin under his arms he yanked him to his feet, pulling him away from his sister. He screamed in fury, and kicked out, almost taking Cal's knees out, before Cal tossed him over his back like a sack and sprinted toward the alley. As soon as he was in the shadows, he ordered us to keep running, and with a shudder, I turned away from Zaryn, and ran behind Cal. As we went, I could only see Torin's hacking sobs as he screamed his sister's name and tried to reach for her, as if by holding his hand out, she would leap up again and come running to him.

As we rounded the corner of one of the last alleys, his hand fell against Cal's back, and he just sobbed to himself, whispering his sister's name. I felt hot tears running down my cheeks as well, and I took in ragged inhales as I tried to contain them, but I couldn't. All I could think about was Gisa, who had done almost the same thing, and although she had lived, she had been forever damaged because of me.

The truck was waiting for us, the back thrown open and the soldiers already loaded, one held his hand out to help Farley in, and two more grabbed Chelsea's arms and pulled her in, almost throwing her in the back. They took Torin off of Cal, who received no help with getting in, and with a grunt I threw myself into the back as the truck roared to life and took off down the alley, it wheels sending up clouds of mud into the smoke.

(/)

I sat huddled in the corner of the truck, Cal's hand spread out in my palms as I wrapped it slowly. The cut from the glass had looked nasty, deep and messy, but a wrap would have to suffice until we reached the new compound and I could get him to Gisa. I glanced up at him and saw him watching Torin carefully, as if he were worried that the boy would leap out and kill us all in a frenzy. I glanced over my shoulder at him too, and saw him shaking softly next to Chelsea who was crying silently. They had clung to each other for the whole ride, huddled under a tattered blanket that did nothing to keep out the chill.

When I glanced back at Cal, I whispered, "what is it?"

He frowned, for a moment I thought he would say nothing, and then with a sigh he replied softly, "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" I pulled a little too hard at my knot and he winced, almost pulling away from me. I held him steady though, and glanced at him, hoping my expression was sorry enough. He sighed when I finally released his hand, and flexing his fingers he whispered, "I was thinking about... about Maven."

"Oh," I replied carefully, that was a topic he rarely broached with me, and to even have him utter the name in front of me was a sign that something serious had changed. He glanced at me carefully and then looking at Torin sadly, he whispered, "I would have done the same."

"Stayed behind with the body?" I inquired gently, wondering where he was taking this exactly. His gaze hardened though, and with a shake of his head, he replied, "no, I would have leaped in front of a bullet for him. I wonder if he knew that, if he ever thought I would do that."

My stomach turned as I recalled Maven's bitter statements under the Bowl of Bones, how he had claimed that his father never lover him, and his brother never cared. Would he have done all of this, if he had known that Cal really did care, that he would put his life on the line for him? Reaching out softly of this shoulder, I whispered, "I don't know, I wish I could tell you."

He winced in pain again as I pressed into a few spots on his shoulder, trying to determine how injured he really was. Glancing up at him, I pulled my hand away slowly and he glanced at the soldiers who were being looked at by their comrades as well, their wounds more superficial than his, but probably just as painful. His gaze was distant and my heart ached for him, for the pain he had been put through today, both physically and emotionally, it was taking its toll on him again. He was paying the ultimate price, and it was weighing so heavily on his heart and thoughts.

On a sudden compulsion, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around his uninjured hand and squeezed softly. He didn't so much as glance my way, but in his expression I could see him giving up, on some hope or dream. It was like the mood that had overcome him on our way to the arena, as he was marched before everyone he had once known and loved. The thought of him doing that to himself again made my stomach turn and I hissed softly, my fingers squeezing his even tighter, "after all of this, you-you're just going to give up?"

He glanced at me, his expression almost pitiful as he tired to insist, "you don't underst-"

"No, don't you dare say I don't understand. I do, I understand how much pain you're in. I feel it too, I feel it every night when I sleep, and I know you do too," my eyes watered, and my voice cracked sharply as I expelled my thoughts, taking a deep breath I leveled my gaze with his and hissed, "you're not going to give up, you're going to fight like hell until you can't fight any more. That's what you're going to do, because _that's who you are Tiberius Calore_. You're a fighter, a soldier, and if you give up, then I'm going to give up too."

For a moment, he looked baffled by my words, but slowly, a smile spread across his features and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment. He wasn't going to take me seriously, and for a moment that stung, until he met my gaze softly, his eyes like melting pools of fire as he whispered, "I would never dream of giving up, and I certainly wouldn't want to see you give up."

My heart fluttered, and I pulled my hand away from his then, glad that he had heard me out. Clearing my throat to dispel the silence, I pulled my hair away from my face and looked away to hide my unease at his stare. He chuckled softly while he leaned back against the wall behind him, his injured shoulder obviously causing him trouble even though he tried to ignore it.

Glancing out of the back of the truck to avoid his stare, I could see the bright flames of fire in the distance. My eyes burned at the sight and Cal frowned as he followed my gaze, and when he saw the horizon as well, I saw his lips turn into a sneer. The other's in the compartment looked out as well and they began to whisper to each other, their eyes wide in horror as they took in Gray Town burning.

Glancing behind me, I could see Torin and Chelsea watching it as well, their expressions entirely different. Chelsea's like a ghost as she watched her only home burn like straw, and in the faint light I could see the smudges of dirt that had stained her cheeks, and the tears that rolled down her cheeks ran trails, washing them away.

Torin was an entirely different story, his stare was like fire, as if he were stroking the blaze. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his jaw was tight, his teeth almost grinding together. Just looking at his expression made my heart hammer in my chest, and it made me recall the cold, calculated stare Maven had worn as he watched his brother kill their father. As if sensing my stare though, his gaze snapped to meet mine, and his eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch before he turned to look at Cal, and if looks could kill, I had a feeling Cal would be dead on the floor of the truck.

 _(/_ _ **Cal/**_ _)_

The compound was located in the high mountains, an old bunker than must have been from hundreds of years ago. It had been built into the mountain side, and as we rode up the long trail, it grew colder, and a few fresh flakes of snow had begun falling. They danced around inside of the truck, and a few of the soldiers who had visited the front lines pulled away from them, their breath creating a mist in the air as they flinched away from what had been a painful memory of frostbite and death.

Mare had huddled against me, her body shivering as she tried to keep warm, and although I tried to maintain some semblance of warmth for her, it was getting to be difficult the more tired I became. The pain in my shoulder was like a hammer that pounded with the beat of my heart, and with each second that passed, the pain become worse.

The only thing that really kept us from all freezing to death was the heat that was radiating off of Torin near the back of the truck. It hadn't escaped my attention that he was giving off an excessive amount of heat that was boiling under the surface of his skin. No one seemed to be complaining, but out of the corner of my eye, I could see his glare, could feel it like a burning wind on my skin. Given the fact that I had practically ripped him away from his dead sister, it didn't surprise me that he wanted to tear me limb from limb. Mare had quietly explained to me that as a culture, Reds tended to sit vigil over a dead loved one, to supposedly ease the spirit's departure. Torin hadn't been allowed the closure of that vigil, and my heart ached for him. As Silvers, we had a similar tradition, more of a public affair, followed by a private one with the close family. If I hadn't been the one of the kill my father, I would have been required to sit in the tomb next to my mother's grave and mourn alone.

I desperately wanted to console the teenager who was slowly curling in on himself with bitter resentment, wanted to warn him how terrible his demons would become if he let them start eating away at him now. There was no one who understood that better than me.

We had been traveling for most of the day, only stopping once to refuel and stretch before we began our ascent into the mountains. Now though, I could see the sun setting on the peaks of the mountains, it's rays raking across the sky and barely giving enough light to see by. The truck rumbled to a stop, and Farley rose from her position by the exit of the truck. Her gaze had been distant the whole ride, her eyes glued to a future horizon only she could see.

Now, she looked to the soldiers waiting for her orders, their eyes lowering as she meet each gaze. When she met mine, she nodded tightly, and ordered, "everyone out, we walk the last mile."

She leaped out and disappeared around the truck to give her orders to the man driving, her voice carrying in the rising wind as she tried to shout and be heard. After her, the Guardsmen followed in a single file, pausing to help the man behind them before continuing on. As I came to the edge, an older man offered me his hand and I glanced down at it suspiciously. The men in the Scarlet Guard had all made it very clear that they didn't like me, didn't want me anywhere near them or their families, and for this man to turn around and help me was just the slightest bit suspicious.

The ache in my shoulder though reminded me just how much pain I was in, and with a heavy sigh, I gripped the man's hand and he helped me down, his grip secure as he inquired, "you okay kid?"

Nodding, I thanked him hesitantly as soon as my feet were completely on the ground. He gave me a tight smile and then turned back and offered a hand to Mare as he helped her down. She took it gratefully and landed in a few inches of snow next to me. She shivered instinctually and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. Chelsea came out next, followed by Torin, who refused the man's help and almost turned his ankle when he jumped down.

Tucking his collar up against the wind, the man looked us over pitifully and commented, "you all sure are a sight for sore eyes," he laughed and pulling his mask up to block the chill he continued, "I haven't seen such a mixed bag before in my life."

One of his comrades called him toward the main group, and giving us a sloppy two fingered salute, he turned, and with long strides caught up with the others. As he joined them, Mare set her hand on my arm, her touch gentle as she whispered, "let's get you inside to see Gisa about your hand and someone else about your shoulder."

She gave Chelsea and Torin a weak smile and whispered to them, "and I'm sure you two are exhausted and starving, they'll have food and we'll find you a place to sleep quickly."

Chelsea smiled and whispered her thanks before starting after the main group, her hand tight around Torin's wrist as she began to lead him away. His eyes never left my face as he passed, and for a moment, I saw the fire in his eyes as they met my own. His head swiveled forward immediately after that, and he continued on with Chelsea.

My stomach turned at the thought of what Torin was thinking, what he was feeling, and for a moment I felt like it was actually my fault that something so horrible had happened to him. A soft hand fell on my arm once more, and I glanced at Mare who looked worried. I felt like the more time I spent around her, the more she worried, the more she cared about other's around her. No matter how selfish she believed herself to be, Mare had knack for putting others before herself.

"You look really pale, are you feeling sick?" She inquired as she pulled her glove off and reached up hesitantly to touch the bare space on my neck to check for fever. I shook my head quickly, pulling away from her electric touch. It sparked something dangerous inside me whenever she touched me, and I couldn't afford any more troublesome feelings at the moment. As if she read my mind, she pulled her hand away quickly and turned her head away to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks like ink in water. It was such a beautiful thing though, so vastly different from the blushes I had grown up seeing on every court member.

"Let's get a move on you two, unless you want to take the first watch." Farley ordered as she marched by us, her voice as icy as the cold around us.

Inside of the compound, it was warm, and people bled out of the shadows checking to see if their loved ones had returned safely. The man from earlier was greeted by a young boy and an older woman, who pressed a light kiss to his cheek and whispered something softly to him.

Shade appeared with Maggie who ran to us, tears streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms tightly around Mare's legs and cried, "I thought you guys were dead, they said that the planes were bombing the city and that you guys hadn't left yet!"

Mare crouched down and stroking Maggie's curls she pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "we wouldn't do that to you Maggie, Cal and I know that we have to be here for you."

She sniffled as Mare let go of her and ran to me, her arms closing around my legs as well. I smiled warmly and crouched down to wrap my uninjured arm around her shoulders. She was one of the few people who had accepted me on the spot, and I had a sneaking suspicion that she had snuck into my heart before I even knew her. The thought worried me though, she was another string to tie me down, more leverage if I got caught; but Maggie always chased those thoughts away when she smiled up at me. There was no way to say no to her face when she was smiling up at you like a thousand watt lightbulb that had gotten a strong current of power.

She shifted in my arms and turning her head slightly she whispered in my ear, "who are they?"

I followed her stern gaze and saw her staring blatantly at Chelsea and Torin who were looking at her with mixed feelings. I had yet to understand how Maggie was about to see so eel with being obviously blind, she had whispered to me one night about how she saw in others minds and used to that form her own pictures. But thoughts were deceiving, and as I had fallen asleep, I heard her whisper that she and seen me in Mare's mind first, and that she had known from that that I wasn't dangerous.

The two New Bloods watched her with curiosity, but serious confusion and mistrust, were sprayed across their features, the latter two more so on Torin's. Mare set a gentle hand on Maggie's shoulder as I rose from my crouch and gesturing to Chelsea and Torin she introduced them. "Maggie, this is Torin and Chelsea, they're our friends now too."

The little girl's head titled to the side curiously, but with a bright smile, she maneuvered her away across the small space to them, and wrapped her arms around Chelsea's leg's briefly, before moving onto Torin who stiffened like a board when she hugged him. She pulled away, and patting his leg, she insisted, "you shouldn't be so sad, Mare and Cal are going to take good care of us, they're going to show us how to fight Silvers and win."

I winced inwardly at her terminology, and glanced at Torin for a moment, but he was busy trying to push Maggie away from him who was trying to wrap herself around his legs again. Chelsea seemed amused with the little child dancing around their feet, and was giggling softly as she observed the spectacle.

From around the corner behind them, a very concerned looking Barrow mother appeared. She immediately sought out her daughter in the crowd and even though Mare couldn't see her, I saw her quicken her pace and release all the tension in her shoulders when she saw her eldest daughter. She pushed her way through the crowd to us, and immediately latching onto Mare as soon as there was enough room, and clutched her tightly. Mare made a noise that sounded vaguely like all the air in her body had been squeezed out, but she eventually sighed softly and wrapped her arms around her mother.

"What happened?" Shade questioned as this mother arrived, "all we know is that the spies didn't make it, suicide pills and such-" Shade paused when he saw Torin and Chelsea staring at him blankly, their eyes wide. Coughing uncomfortably, he adjusted the collar of his jacket and glared at me, as if it was my fault that he had opened his mouth and spewed information without checking to see who was around him. I narrowed my eyes immediately, I may have saved his life, but in no way as I ready to be that comfortable with him. He'd turned on a dime, and who was to say he wouldn't do it again?

Mare squirmed away from their mother and intervened before I could answer, drawing all attention to herself like she had a habit of doing. "Shade, I should introduce you."

He glanced at her and then spotting the red and silver blood that was all over the front of her shirt, he muttered, "that better be Silver Legion blood all over the front of you."

She glanced down at her shirt and shrugged self-consciously, her eyes flitting to me as she replied, "most of it's Cal's. He decided to pick a fight with a glass window."

Maggie blanched and then running to me she cried, "you got hurt? Cal!" She grabbed at my hand, even though I hadn't told her which one it was and, began to untie Mare's wrap. She exposed the nasty cut immediately, and I heard Mare's mother gasp in surprise and Shade choked as he cried out, "by God, Silver! Didn't anyone teach you not to play with sharp objects?"

I yanked my hand away from Maggie's tiny ones and closing it into a tight fist and pulling it to my chest, I replied, "it's fine, nothing that can't be fixed."

"Yeah, well that's going to leave a nasty scar." Shade muttered, quieter now that the initial shock of seeing the injury had worn off. The worry that was etched through his brow though brought a prick of worry to me, maybe I wasn't taking this injury as seriously as I should have.

"I thought Gisa could stitch him up, it can't be that different from sewing, and she _has_ been working in the medical tent stitching things up." Mare argued, pulling Maggie away from me, who was whining and trying to grab my injured hand again by jumping up and down in front of me. Mare's mother seemed to tense for a moment, her eyes glancing me over before clutching her hands to her chest and whispering, "it certainly wouldn't hurt to try."

"Well then, I'll just go grab Gisa and we'll stitch you up," Shade chanted cheerfully as he clapped me hard on my injured shoulder. I let out a yelp of agony and grabbed at the spot where the pain exploded immediately. Mare let go of Maggie suddenly, her hand reaching out to grab my uninjured arm as she stated tersely while glaring at her brother, "and find someone to look at that shoulder, you can't exactly train people if you can't lift your arm."

She glanced over her shoulder at Torin and Chelsea and offering both a warm smile, she insisted, "you two can follow Shade, he'll take you guys to the mess hall so that you can get something to eat, and maybe a change of clothes."

Chelsea glanced at Shade, and as soon as her eyes met his, she blushed a scarlet red so dark, it was almost the color of her hair. She turned her face away immediately and tucked her chin into her shoulder, like she could actually hide anything. Torin saw her reaction, and rolling his eyes, he blew out an irritated sigh and grumbled, "well fine, lead the way then."

Grinning widely, Shade offered Chelsea his arm and insisted, "my lady, if you will."

Her eyes grew ten times bigger and her hand shook as she slipped it around Shade's arm and let him lead her away. Torin stalked after them, obviously irritated with the situation, but hopefully he had forgotten about his sister for the moment. Maggie sprinted to catch up, trying to chatter Chelsea's ear off, but she was too busy staring up at Shade to notice even the air she was breathing.

"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid, she's had enough trauma in her life without adding Shade Barrow the Player to the mix," Mare grumbled, her eyes narrowing on her brother's back, almost sending telepathic sound waves to him with that thought. Her mother sighed and patting her daughter's shoulder lovingly, she whispered, "we can only hope."

With that, she started off through the crowd, and Mare tugged on my elbow softly to get me to follow. As we passed through the crowd, they all parted, giving us a berth wide enough to land an air jet in. Some of the men glanced up from shifting supplies to watch us pass, their eyes narrowed as they took me in, and it took quite a bit of effort to keep from glaring back at them. Ahead of us, Mare's mother glanced back every so often to make sure we were following, and also that we were not being attacked.

She led us to a large tent that had soft female voices wafting out of it as they all laughed and chatted inside. Shifting the flap aside, Mare's mother waved us is, and Mare ushered me ahead of her, making sure I got inside before she followed.

The tent was much smaller on the inside than I would have guessed, and it was bustling with middle aged women that were tending to some of the wounded. As soon as we entered though, everything stopped and everyone started staring again. Mare squeezed by me, and taking my uninjured hand, she pulled me along, muttering excuses to make people move as we made our way through the crowd. Her mother trailed, adding apologies as she looked around for her youngest daughter. As we passed through the tent, I could almost smell the scent of sickness and death, and it assaulted me violently, making my stomach turn.

It had been a while since I had been in a Red solider's tent, and it was rare that I would have to see a normal medical tent, normally I saw the nearest healer and was tended to, this was something else though. It was like walking into a nightmare, one where it was impossible to wake up, even if you tried.

The men were laid about in the best way possible to make up for the lack of space, and they littered the floor it seemed, their eyes closed, with tallow and pale skin. They groaned every so often, and one of the women would scamper to them, and dab at them with a cool cloth, or check their bandages.

For a moment, I felt like I was going to be sick, and I almost yanked my hand out of Mare's to run from the tent. It was not supposed to be this bad, the conditions had never been this terrible, this horrendous. My stomach turned with each man or woman we saw, but when we turned a corner and I saw a young boy lying on his back, his mother clutching his hand tightly and sobbing softly, I froze. Mare yanked of my hand a little bit, as if trying to get me to move, but I was rooted in place, watching the terrible scene unfold. Even from the distance we were at, I could see that the boy's chest was still, and that he wasn't going to be opening his eyes anytime soon.

"Cal," Mare whispered softly, but her voice sounded so far away, like it had on the bridge, almost a whisper in the wind as she spoke, "there's nothing we can do, let's get your hand looked at."

The woman glanced up upon hearing Mare's voice, and her blood shot eyes met mine for one terrible moment. If Hell had a face, it was this woman's features. Her lips were torn from constantly biting them, her cheeks were chalk white from lack of sleep and eating, or maybe both, and her eyes were shot through with red so that the iris appeared to be drowning in a sea of blood. She took me in at the same time that I did, and a heartbeat later, her lip curled in disgust as she recognized me.

Everything tunneled in that moment, and all I could see was her hand clutching her sons cold, still one, and the world did a sickening loop. I felt Mare's hand clutch at my arm, her voice high and panicked as she called my name, but I glanced away, and with a tight throat I chocked, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Mare gripped my elbow tightly, barely supporting me as she pulled me along, her complexion almost as white as the woman's. We continued on, and as I looked back, I saw the mother looking at me strangely. Her eyes were confused and unsettled at the same time, but behind that I could almost see a flash of thankfulness, as if my apology had coated some of her pain in silk. Maybe it had, maybe it was all she wanted to hear, that someone was sorry for her, that someone like _me_ , was sorry for her.

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

Gisa was in the back of the tent, tending to a young soldiers cuts, stitching him up like a professional as her master looked on. The older woman had claimed Gisa the moment she had learned about her gift with a needle, and immediately my sister was converted into a battlefield nurse, her skills being put to the use finally.

She looked up after sending the young man off, and with a smile she washed her hands in a bowl and breathed, "thank goodness you're okay, we heard that you guys had run into trouble."

Smiling at her lovingly, I pulled Cal a little farther in and helped him to sit down on the floor. He seemed almost unsteady on his feet now. His face was so pale I could see the undertone of black in his blood. He looked ashen, as if he had seen a ghost, and I was worried that he might have lost more blood than I thought, or hit his head somewhere.

Gisa took him in, her head tilting to the side as she muttered, "I'm not very good with sick patients, Mare. I only do stitches."

I sighed, exasperated at Cal's apparent state, and grabbed his hand to show her. Unlike everyone else who had winced and turned away from the wound, Gisa came closer, taking his hand in hers like it was a dying bird, and opened the palm further. Trickles of silver blood rolled out, but to my sister, it might as well have been red, because she smiled up at Cal and whispered softly, "this isn't too bad, maybe twelve stitches."

She turned her back to gather a clean needle and supplies, letting Cal's hand fall, but he didn't seem to notice the lack of support anymore. I leaned against the beam nearest to us, crossing my arms and ankles as I inquired, "so it's not that bad?"

"Oh no, it's absolutely terrible, probably the deepest I've seen, but nothing I can't handle." Gisa said with a smile and a wink as she set the tip of her needle into the small flame of the candle nearby. I watched her work, curious as ever. Our mother set her hand on my shoulder softly, interrupting my inspection, and then leaning toward my ear she whispered, "I think we need to talk."

I glanced at her in confusion, my brows lowered, and my lips turning down in a frown as I nodded. Smiling warmly, she squeezed my elbow and whispered again, watching Cal curiously, "we can talk when you're done here, I think he might need some support."

With that, the turned away and walked back the way we had come, stopping only to set her hand softly on the shoulder of the woman whom we had passed earlier. She leaned down and whispered something softly to her, and then continued on, her path steady as it had always been, just like it had ben when I had begun to go astray years ago.

"Mare?"

I snapped to attention again, and blinked down at Cal who was staring into space, his eyes glassy. Gisa looked up at me in confusion as she took Cal's hand again and prepped it to begin stitching the cut. I sank down in a crouch next to Cal and inquired hesitantly, "yes?"

He took a deep breath, and some of his composure returned with it, but his voice was still shaky as he whispered sadly, "is it always this bad, do they always die that young?"

His question took me off guard, and I saw his eyes swivel suddenly to look back the way we had come as two other women brought a clean sheet over to cover the boy. My heart ached as I realized that he had probably seen more than enough today, and this was just something he didn't need to see. It was too much in too little time, too much death, too much pain and suffering.

Hanging my head slowly, I watched Gisa push the needle through his skin and begin threading it. "Not always, but yes it's somewhat common that they die of sickness. But Cal," I reached out and squeezed his other hand softly, drawing his haunted gaze as I continued, "I'm sorry you had to see that."

His lips curled in disgust and he growled, "no, I needed to see it. How could I have been so _stupid_ as to think that just visiting the taverns and listening was enough to know these people? I should have known that it was worse than it appeared."

Gisa glanced up in surprise, her needle pausing as she inquired, "you used to go to the taverns?"

Cal's eyes snapped to her's, clearing it seemed as he took her in, and with a grimace he looked away and muttered, "yes, I thought I was observing the people and learning about them, hearing their problems so that I could try and solve them."

"Well," Gisa insisted, apparently catching onto Cal's mood quickly as she pulled the thread tight and closed the wound, "that's more than most Silver's can probably say, and definitely more than most princes."

Cal winced, and I wasn't sure if it was because of her pulling or her comment, but he didn't tear his eyes away from the mother who had turned to laying her hand on her son's head as she continued to sob softly.

 _A/N_

 _Hello everyone, sorry for the wait, this chapter took a long time to turn out (it's over 12000 words and editing it was pain)_ _. Anyway, apologies, in the last chapter I incorrectly called Gray Town, the Smoke, in Red Queen it is referred to as Gray Town._

 _Also, Question time!_

 _1\. What do you think of Cal's sudden change in_ _thoughts about the Reds and his view of them? Torin and what happened to Zaryn were a **huge** turning point for him by the way, why do you think it was?_

 _2\. (Just for fun) did you see the first chapter of Glass Sword? (I saw it ages ago but never asked) It just made me so excited, I can't wait! On that note, I will be continuing this story even though Glass Sword will probably one out before I'm done. I know I've seen some people dip out of a fan fiction because another book came out, but I don't think I will, there is definitely another fic after this, and possibly a third, I have to see about that last one._

 _Anywho, cheers! I'll be seeing you in the next chapter, when we make another short time jump._


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

 _(/ **Cal** /)_

It was nice being in a compound that was ten times bigger than the previous one. It meant less bottle neck hallways where I was more likely to get killed by a group of soldiers that didn't like the way I had walked by them at breakfast, or even better, a smaller chance of running into Kilorn who had been stationed at the compound almost permanently. He still seemed to have a nasty habit of running into me though, and every time he did, he would whisper something under his breath to his comrade who would in turn glare at me too and sneer. In every instance, I kept walking, but as the weeks went by, the fragile patients I had managed to cultivate had started to fray. One of the best benefits we had ben granted though, was the space Farley has allocated as Mare's and my own, _for training purposes,_ she had muttered off handedly as she showed us the massive hanger sized room.

Having the room meant actual space to train the New Bloods that had been entered into the Guard, it meant finally having enough space to stretch out and spar without having to worry about someone cracking their head against a boiler or water heater. At the moment, that was all Mare wanted to do, spar, fight, and test her limits, she didn't have much competition though. Maggie wasn't exactly in any shape to fight, and I had a feeling she would never be much of a fighter, Chelsea could barely keep her ability under control, which normally meant that objects warped into other things when she was near them, or she'd wake up in the morning with bright green hair, and Torin, he could hardly maintain a candle flame without breaking into a sweat, and he refused my help pointedly, muttered obscenities under his breath as he walked away. At the moment, I was disposed as well, with a seriously separated shoulder that had become like dead weight after a week.

So, we had resulted to just plain old sparing with no weapons, or with poles that Mare and I had pared down when both of us couldn't sleep. We had come to a common, silent agreement when those nights happened: we wouldn't talk about what was bothering us, we would just sit in silence, brooding together while we did some mindless task. It was nice though, having her there, either sitting next to me or across from me. Her presence was a soothing balm, and I wished that I could think of the words to thank her for understanding.

In front of me, Chelsea flipped Mare over her arm and slammed her face first into the mat. I winced as Mare let out a cry of pain, and tried to twist out from underneath Chelsea, who had dropped immediately to straddle Mare's back and pin her to the floor. The two of them squirmed on the floor for a few more seconds before Mare slammed her free hand on the mat and let out a loud curse word. Chelsea leaped off of her, smiling broadly as she clasped her hands together to contain herself, but already her hair had an orange tinge. Mare rolled over slowly and yanking her loose hairs out of her face she hissed, "again."

Sighing, I stood up and held my hand out to Chelsea to stop her. Mare propped herself up on her elbows and glaring at me spit, "I'm _fine,_ let's do it again."

"You're going to get hurt, and we can't afford that, take a short break." I argued softly, trying to calm her down, but Mare was easily irritated lately, most likely because of her lack of sleep, and this training session was the tipping point it seemed. She leaped up to her feet and stepping up so that she was toe to toe with me, she hissed, "oh come off it, I can do this!"

"I'm not letting you get injured," I was trying to sooth her, but she was a lit fuse, and I was doing what I did best, add fire to the mix. She seemed to puff up to two times her size after my comment, and I heard the distinct crackle of electricity as she spit, "Since when do you care?"

My fist clenched as my stomach dropped, like I had taken a wrong step and started falling down a set of stairs. She couldn't have meant that, she knew that I was sticking around to train her, and to help the Guard, didn't that translate somewhere in her mind to caring? Apparently not, and for a moment, my blood boiled at the thought. What else did she want, an embroidered sign saying that I cared?

"You two aren't arguing again are you?" A small voice asked from the left. Mare's head swiveled immediately to look at Maggie who was glaring at us, cupping the small mouse we had caught for her in her hands. The creature had become her practice dummy, but I doubted forcing it to go certain directions through a maze was very interesting the her, because she normally just ended up carrying the thing around and whispering to it. I saw her thumb stroking it's fur softly as she stated stiffly, "you can't electrocute Cal, Mare, it'll hurt his shoulder more."

Tori glanced up from his station on the other side of the room upon hearing Maggie's words, his ears almost piqued in interest as he took in the spectacle we were making. He'd separated himself from us a few days ago, and refused to listen to anything I told him, even though I tried to point out that I was trying to help him. His attitude had started to grate on me, but the harder I pushed, the more he pushed back. I could hardly get him to sit with us in the mess hall, and he refused to so much as associate with anyone during that time. Even Chelsea had started to feel some of the cold shoulder he was giving us, and I had once seen her trying to sooth him, but he ended up pushing her away too. I could feel his pain like a burning sting in my heart, and a part of me wanted to let him suffer it if he was going to act like this, but the part of me that had been growing over the past few weeks told me to try to talk him through it, to point out the errors I had made to prevent him from making the same ones. It was hard to do that though when the person you were trying to console would rather that you fall off a cliff and die.

Mare glared at me, as if noticing my absent thoughts, and then with a huff, she let the electricity die from around hands before she stormed out of the room. Chelsea watched her go with rapt curiosity, and Maggie let out what sounded vaguely like an irritated sigh as she turned her expectant gaze back onto me. Her brow was raised, and her pale eyes, though unseeing, were trained directly on mine. It was the rare moments like this when I wondered what went on inside of Maggie's head. She was like no other six year old I had meet, and although she could be childish at times, there was an air of maturity and wisdom around her that hinted that she knew more than she let on. Sighing again, she glanced down at her mouse and pretend to not notice the conflict in the room.

My skin prickled as I realized that she was silently telling me to go after Mare and calm her down, but I wasn't so sure Mare wanted to see me at the moment. But to appease Maggie, who would surely find someway get me to go after Mare anyway, I turned on my heel and followed Mare's path. As I passed her, I saw Maggie grin down at her mouse before looking up at Chelsea with an innocent gaze.

The hallways were filled with people, and I had to almost push my way through to catch up to Mare who was winding her way through like a fish in a stream, even though she was going against the current of bodies. I could just make out the top of her head as she ducked and weaved, and as I pushed my way through the crowd to keep up with her, I heard people protest and spit insults left and right.

Mare turned a corner sharply, and I had no choice but to cut off a group of young women, who all let out cries of shock as I stepped in front and almost ran into them. I paused only momentarily to give them quick apologies before hurrying after Mare again, who was setting a path toward the rooms we had been assigned. Her pace wasn't slacking and she appeared to be fueled by an inner fire as she shoved her way through the crowd and eventually broke into a sprint as she entered open space. Apologizing as I shoved through the last of the crowd as well, I sprinted after her, ignoring the smarting pain in my shoulder as I caught up to to her and wrapped my hand around her arm to flip her around.

She tried to yank away from me, but I held firm, hoping she wouldn't electrocute me if I kept holding on. She turned a wet gaze to meet my eyes and pushing me away, she shouted, "just leave me alone," she spun around so that her back was to me, and wrapping her arms around herself, she continued in a whisper, "I just want to be alone."

A few young soldiers came down the hallway, and had no choice but to squeeze between us since the hallway was so tight. Muttering apologies, they ducked their heads and tried not to sprint down the hallway to get away from the explosion they knew was coming. I watched their forms retreat, wishing privately that I could run with them. I was not prepared for the conversation that Mare and I were about to have. We had danced around the subject of our demons for weeks, almost months, and it seemed as if fate had it in his hand to make us finally talk about them. Sighing heavily, I pinched the bridge of my nose tightly and argued, "I can't do that Mare, I'm sorry."

"Actually you can, you've done it before. You just have to shake your head, turn around, and walk away. I don't see what's so hard about that." She bit, her eyes narrowing as she glared at me. Although her words hurt, I relaxed slightly, I had her attention at least, but there was no guarantee that I would be able to keep it. We stood in stiff silence after that, my words sticking in my throat and coating my tongue as I tried to figure out how to phrase them best. She pressed her palms into her eyes and groaning loudly, she sagged her back against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the ground, her knees tucked up to her chest and her head resting on them. She looked so small then, and as I stood above her, I could do nothing but watch her slowly crumble as she started to cry softly. Her sobs were soft, like a sniffle, but slowly they escalated until she was choking slightly. It wasn't pitiful though, in fact, it was almost too easy to commiserate with her.

I crouched down slowly, like I was approaching a wild animal, which was what she was in that moment. A live fuse that could go off at any moment and explode, figuratively, or literally. When she glanced up slightly, she saw me crouching in front of her, and I hoped that my expression was blank. I didn't want her to think that I was judging her in anyway. I tried to keep that neutral expression when she was like this, it was the best way to deal with her, and not startle her. She let out a choked laugh and wiping her eyes roughly she managed through her hitching breath, "look at me, I'm falling apart," she glared at the water on her hands and then looking up at me she inquired softly, "how can you be so... so distant? How do you stop yourself from feeling?"

My facade cracked, and for a moment, I let her see what was beneath it. I had been raised as a child to hide everything I felt, and I knew that one day when I was married, my queen could never be allowed to know what I was thinking. It had haunted me for years, and I had spent those years perfecting my mask, carefully crafting the facade that protected me from the wolves that were snapping at my heels. If only Mare had seen me behind closed doors, when I was truly alone with my thoughts, and no one was looking for a weakness to tear me down.

My eyes narrowed slightly and glancing away from Mare's questioning eyes, I whispered carefully, "don't ever think I don't feel. I feel everything, I've just had a lot of practice pretending not to feel."

"Alone in the head, and alone in the heart," Mare whispered softly, her eyes glistening once more. I glanced up at her in confusion, and she wiped at her eyes again, before reaching out to softly touch her finger to my forehead and then set her hand over my heart. "Maven told me that, that all Silver's are alone in the head, and alone in the heart. That's the only way you stay strong."

My stomach clenched at the words, of course he would say something like that. Maven had always been enclosed, had always hidden his true feelings. _Alone in the head,_ I doubted that, Elara must have been whispering in there for years, and as for his heart, well, I hoped that there was still something of it to save. But if my brother had always thought of himself as alone in there, then I wasn't entirely certain what I could do to help him. I had been silently hoping for some sign that he was in there. That the little brother who had run through the Palace halls with me, creating havoc, was still there, buried beneath whatever exterior he presented; but the more I saw of him lately, and the more I heard, the more my heart sank and my hopes vanished.

We sat in silence once more, until I realized that Mare's hand was still resting over my heart, and glancing down at it, I whispered, "well, he's not wrong, but I've always found that being alone is uncomfortable."

Mare followed my eyes to her hand, and I saw her blush a dark scarlet as she murmured, "then what do you hide in your head and heart?" She pulled her hand away slowly, and glancing up to meet my eye, I could see how bright red her complexion was. Between us there was a burning heat that filled the space like a cloud, and it took a moment for me to realize that I was the one causing it. I felt my skin burn with embarrassment when I noticed how out of control I was, I never let anything affect me enough anymore to the point that I released this much heat. It had been a reflex when I was younger, and it had always let anyone tutoring me know that I was afraid or nervous, and over time I had learned that when I lied, I had to force the heat inside. But Mare ripped every piece of self-restraint I had to shreds, I wasn't even sure how she did it either. Why did she have to ask those kinds of questions? It seemed that she always knew exactly how to pull the rug out from underneath me. Although those times were coming far and few between, I had a hesitant feeling it was because she felt like she had already hurt me enough.

Rising slowly, I offered her my hand, which she took gratefully and allowed me to help her to her feet. "Right now, a lot of things."

She looked at me curiously, with the corners of her lips turning down, and her brow raising slightly. Whenever she did that, I felt every ounce of control I had leave, only to be replaced by panic. Her expression could make a slab of concrete sweat bullets, and sometimes, she almost pushed me to that point, and it infuriated me to no end.

Sighing softly, I glanced down the hallways and instantly picked out Farley's form as she made a quick path to us, her expression like stone, and her grip on a file in her hand almost deadly. Mare's expression instantly changed when she noticed the confusion on my features, and she glanced over her shoulder as well.

"What in the name of hell?" Mare inquired as she watched Farley advance on us, only for Farley to storm up to her and begin, "I need you two in the command room-" she eyed my hand on Mare's arm, and the minimal amount of space between the two of us, and raising her brow in speculation she inquired sarcastically, "I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

Mare choked for a moment, and then stumbling over her answer, she insisted that we weren't doing anything. Glaring at me, Mare nudged me with her knee, and tried to get me to agree with her, but because she was doing this, she missed Farley delivering a skeptical glance at both of us, with the corner of her lips turned up in the slightest of smiles as if she were sharing a private thought. The look was gone as soon as it came though, and with an exaggerated sigh, Farley gestured for us to follow her back down the hallway. "I need you in command, something's happened."

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

The command station for the new headquarters was three times the size of the last one. It doubled as a meeting center for the council, with a platform above a pit of technical equipment, that was dated by possibly centuries, where the council met periodically. In the pit, groups of people were typing on dated computers, and they glanced up as we passed them. I reached up and pulled my hair in front of my face, to hide my features. Even though I was a common figure in the Guard, I hated being stared at.

Farley led us up the set of stairs to the platform where a large circular table with the same map of Norta from the original council room rested in the center. Sitting at the end of the table, Shade had his boots propped up on the edge, and was leaning back into his chair, the front legs hovering above the ground as he tossed a sac of rice above his head over and over again. Standing in front of the board of assignments that was covered in ink and plans was Hector, his expression disgusted as he took in my brother's stance. Sitting next to Shade was Maribel, her hands knotted in her dark hair as she gazed intently over a stack of papers that she was riffling through.

As soon as Farley cleared the top of the steps though, Shade started and the chairs legs hit the metal of the platform with a clang, startling Hector, and only drawing a tired sigh from Maribel who shifted in her seat slightly and flipped one of the pages she was looking at. I was only a step behind Farley, and Cal in turn was only a step behind me. As soon as he reached the top step and Hector saw him, he sneered and spit, "I thought this was a meeting of the council not a come one, come all."

"This is the council, Hector, the sooner you accept that fact, the better off you will be." Farley replied, her irritation evident as she leaned against the railing that lined the platform. She crossed her arms and her ankles comfortably and gesturing to the board, she glanced at Cal and inquired, "what do you think of that?"

I started in surprise as Farley's statement truly set in, when had Cal become a part of the council? He hadn't exactly done much in the Guard, but here Farley was, sharing information with him like they had known each other for years. I watched him step up to the board and glance it over carefully. The spark I had seen in him seemed to be lit and flaring as he scanned the information situated before him. I hadn't seen his eyes shine in a long time, and it seemed that the more time he spent working in the Guard, the more he opened up, the more I got to see the man behind the mask of The Crown Prince. The more I saw of him though, the more I felt that fluttering my chest, the more I realized that I was staring at his eyes, trying to see the golden flecks that caught the light when he smiled, which he had a habit of doing more and more. I was terrified though, I wasn't allowed to feel that way, I could never allow myself to feel that way about him again. So I shoved my feelings under the surface, tried to hide them, but they leaked out, and the hallway incident a few minutes ago was one of the best examples of that. He knew just how to get under the surface, how to reach the root of the problem without truly pointing it out. We had scratched the surface in that hallway, and we had each shown the other the storms that raged beneath out skins. He was the burning flame, the destruction after a inferno, and I was the rain that came to clear away the smoke afterward. Whether or not he wanted me to be, I was a hurricane, and the thing about fire was that in a battle with rain, it always lost.

"This is the official picture of the King, Queen, and his advisory council, they're required to take one." Cal's voice carried through the haze of my thoughts and I snapped my head up to watch him point to the picture that had been cleaned up and enlarged. I could make out Maven standing next to Evangeline, both of whom were looking seriously uncomfortable next to each other. On Maven's left was a group of people, few who I recognized, and on Evangeline's right were her brother and father.

As I turned my gaze from the picture to Cal, I saw the faintest signs of agony cross his features. That would have been him, the king standing with Evangeline, with his council to his left, ready to take the responsibility of the kingdom on his shoulders. It had been stolen so suddenly from him, and I felt my heart clench again. I had played a big part in that loss, I had been his downfall, his ultimate weakness that he had tried to give up when it was too late.

"There's someone missing," He murmured, making me start, as he leaned closer to glance over the picture. I leaned forward and squinted from the seat I had taken on the other side of the table to try and see as well. My chest constricted in confusion and fear as I whispered carefully, "it's Elara, where's Elara?"

Cal stiffened at my question and Farley snorted from her position, only to inquire, "the supposed she-devil Queen? According to my sources she hasn't been in court for months. She vanished a few weeks after you two escaped."

"Good riddance too," Shade grumbled as he put his boots up on the table again, and returned to tossing the rice bag. I glared at him openly, and Maribel glanced at him too, her expression softer than mine as she replied, "yes well, her disappearance can also pose a very big problem. We have no idea where she is, and if she's running around, she could be anywhere, could be even be one of the sources-"

"I highly doubt that, Elara prefers to keep the underside of her nails clean. She just has everyone do the dirty work for her." I growled as I rose from my seat and walked behind Shade to stand next to Cal at the board. I hoped he had noticed my silent apology filled glance for so callously mentioning Elara's hand in everything, but he only glanced at me carefully, before returning his eyes to look at the list of supplies and patrols out on assignment. Behind me, Hector snorted loudly and turing to Farley he ordered, "send out a patrol to look for her then, the sooner we get rid of her the better."

"You'd never get close enough to pull the trigger," Cal warned, his expression tight as he turned away from the board to look at Hector who had turned a murderous gaze on Cal. They stayed in a stalemate of a stand off until Hector threw his hands in the air and shouted, "well by all means then, we'll send your little battalion of freaks-" he froze for a moment and Shade glared at him and insisted heatedly, "no please, continue with the insult you were about to deliver."

"That's more than enough." Farley interrupted, her hand slamming down on the table to get everyone's attention, and she succeeded spectacularly, even Cal jumped slightly at the sound. Raising her pale eyes to glare at Cal, Farley questioned, "about your group of New Bloods, when do you expect them to be ready?"

I stepped up then, considering the question to also be directed at me since I was supposed to be helping Cal with them. He had promised me the night after we had brought Torin and Chelsea to the base that he would train my privately, and more intimately than he did the others, and then he promised me that I would help him train the others. In the back of my mind though, I had a feeling he was doing this because he knew he was going to leave someday, and he was just covering his guilty conscience so that he could leave without thinking that he had left us behind with nothing. "What do you mean ready, ready for what?" I inquired hesitantly as I looked around the table at everyone. No one would met my eye though, even Cal had the grace to look away when I glared at him.

"Ready for battle," Cal eventually murmured, his voice soft as he met my eye. My stomach turned, and I fixed him with a look that I hoped made him squirm, but he didn't appear to even notice it as he looked down at his jacket and picked at invisible dust on it. "Farley came to me a few days ago and asked if I thought any of them could be turned into soldiers-"

"And you didn't think to ask me? I found them first, I'm the one who has the book, Julian told me about them-" I shouted, my voice rising in magnitude with each word, but Cal didn't seem fazed in the slightest. In fact, he seemed to swell in size as he interrupted me to hiss quietly, "I was going to tell you about it, but there was never an opportunity-"

Farley coughed loudly to get our attention, and we both turned burning gazes on her, but she only crossed her arms and stated, "I'm sure you two can deal with this later, as for now, I would very much so like to get on with this meeting because I'm a _very_ busy woman, and my schedule does not have room in it to listen to you two bicker like love birds for an hour."

My face burned at her comment, and even Cal blanched slightly, his skin paling as his embarrassment slipped past his hardened exterior. Shade smiled wickedly at our expressions, and I tried not to look at him, or meet anyone's eye as I slowly pulled a chair back and sank down into it. My throat was tight and I couldn't so much as look at Cal, who looked away as well, his eyes hard as he stated carefully, "they won't be ready for some time. I have a lot to do with all of them, learning the extent of their abilities, teaching them how to use them, and that takes time."

He crossed the table as he spoke to sit on the opposite side of me, but a few chairs down the way so that we weren't looking directly at each other. I had never been more embarrassed in my life, and I was certain that it would take a long time to forget how uncomfortable it was to be referred to as Cal's love bird.

"Well that settles that, for now though, I have a mission I need you to take on your Highness," she glanced at Cal, as if she were assessing him, "that is if you are physically capable right now."

Cal's lips tightened into a line and he met Farley's gaze head on as he stated, "I'll be fine, my shoulder's healed enough."

As if she had been given a gift, Farley smiled and replied, "excellent, Shade will accompany you, and you two will take a group of men that Hector has selected." Farley instructed as she adjusted the collar of her shirt and gathered the papers Maribel held out to her as she walked toward the stairs. Cal blanched at the statement and Shade's chair legs hit the floor at the same time his jaw did. His eyes snapped to Hector who smiled smugly for a moment as Farley turned her back to leave. She glanced over her shoulder only momentarily as she descended the stairs, and finished, "oh, and you leave in the morning. Try not be late, it makes for a messy mission statement."

She smiled lightly then, and Maribel leaped to her feet to follow her commander as she descended the stairs. Next to me, Shade glared at Hector and grumbled something under his breath, and as he rose he patted Cal's good shoulder and stated, "easy stuff, supply run I think."

Cal nodded tightly, and tried to avoid my gaze as he rose from his chair to follow Shade out. As soon as they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief and set my head in my hand, happy to be alone with my thoughts finally. They were already running circles in my head without Shade adding to the mess with his comments. I massaged my temples with my finger tips, and tried to make the pounding headache there escape. It had been building up all day, and I knew now that I had shouted at Cal earlier because I was tired and frustrated. I felt terrible for it, and I felt ever worse after Farley's comment. I hadn't realized how close we were now, we were together constantly, eating, sleeping, and training. We were getting too close, it was dangerous now. We couldn't afford to get attached, I refused to be the string that tied him down if he tried to leave, he deserved so much better than what I could give him.

"A pity he didn't tell you about what Farley asked."

My head snapped up to see Hector sitting across from me, in my distraction, I hadn't noticed that he was still up here with me. My stomach turned uncomfortably as he leaned forward and inquired, "does he always keep things like that to himself?"

"It's none of your business." I spit, as I shoved my chair back from the table and tried to escape, but he stopped me in my tracks with his next question, "he hasn't told you what his plans are, has he? Whether he intends to stay or not, that is."

I stood frozen, my hand gripping the railing tightly as I whispered over my shoulder hesitantly, "like I said, it's none of your business."

"I don't believe you understand Barrow, his business is your business, and yours is his, that business belongs to Farley and the council too, it belongs to everyone now. Don't you think you deserve to know what he's thinking?" Hector questioned innocently as he rose from his chair and crossed to me. He wasn't that much taller either, if anything, I was a few inches shorted than him. We stood toe to toe for a moment, our eyes met in a standoff as he smiled slowly, almost disturbingly, as if there was a secret he knew that I didn't know. My stomach turned as I looked away, trying to hide my alarm as I muttered, "Cal does everything for a reason, he's-he's always been like that."

"Well, he hasn't changed much has he? I suppose he'll always be the Silver Prince with more secrets than you could ever know about." Hector said with a shrug, his eyes winking dangerously as he stepped around me to walk down the stairs. My chest ached with the thought of what he was insinuating, and swallowing past the knife in my throat, I whispered tentatively, "he's changed, he knows what our lives are like, he promised me it would change." Even as I said it, I knew it sounded like a weak, and Hector seemed to know too, because he glanced over his shoulder at me. He gave me a knowing smile, as if I were just a child and he had been through this before. "Of course he's promised you, but will he keep that promise Barrow, when he has to choose between that crown and his promise to you?"

I blanched in horror at the possiblity, and Hector sighed heavily, his eyes remoseful as he whispered to himself, "such a pity, I was hoping that you could prove to me that he was trustowrthy."

With that, he descended the stairs, but I remained at the top of the platform, my eyes glazed with fear at the image he had conjured up with his words. Cal hadn't choosen me on the bridge, what right did I have to think he would choose me at all? He had given me no reason to trust him, except... he had, he'd saved my life, and had risked his life to help me get Shade back, and he had stayed. My heart soared and my mind latched onto the possibility that he was doing all of this because he cared, because he was choosing me.

In the back of my mind though, I remembered how quickly he had demanded that the council give him the crown if we won.

 _(/ **Military Base in the South: Delphie** /)_

Maven paced down the barren, chilly hall, his face impassive as he passed door after door, as if he were being led by some invisible force. His thick coat almost didn't keep out the chill of the hall, and as he approached the door he desired, he shivered unconsciously. Cursing against such a weakness, he pushed the heavy door open and stepped into a lavish sitting area that overlooked, through a floor to ceiling glass window, the rough coast of Delphie. It had been raining for days along the coast, and Maven had been delayed from leaving Archeon because of that, and those few days had been terrible.

Lounging on the couch watching him like a cat would a mouse, was Elias Arven, the son of the late Rane Arven. His eyes were as terrible as his fathers, and even though he wasn't using his ability, Maven still had to force himself to not instinctually reach for his bracelets. In the background, he heard the distant cries of someone in pain, and as if that wasn't enough to make anyone fear coming here, then Elias was enough to make anyone wish they had never learned about this place.

Rising slowly from the couch, Elias bowed deeply to Maven and whispered in that dangerously quiet tone of his, "your Highness, I trust everything is well in Archeon?"

Maven raised his chin a fraction of an inch, it hadn't escaped his notice that everyone bowed to him and sneered when they did, but as soon as they learned how dangerous he could be, then they would bow with a whimper. Nodding tightly to hide his irritation, Maven crossed to the window to look out at the stormy landscape, his dark thoughts apparent on his face as a sudden cry of pain rose up from the hallway outside. He didn't even glance over his shoulder as the cry became a scream of agony, but was suddenly cut off as it died out with a gurgle.

He took a shaky breath, one that rattled in his chest as he heard the gurgle die out and end suddenly. For a moment, another face flashed across his mind, a young face that died gurgling and spitting blood. He shook himself out quickly though, no use drawing on the past, he had stepped into a grander, _better_ life, even if parts of it were decaying with lies.

As if sensing his morose turn of mood, the door opened into the room, and his mother swept in. Her platinum blond hair was swept up in a elaborate style, and the dress she wore was as extravagant as anything she would wear in court. It sparked like it had been embedded with diamonds, but along the hem, Maven could see the faint splashes on black liquid. So she had been in the rooms with the subjects, interesting.

As soon as he saw her, Maven felt himself relax though, and as soon as she saw him, her lips split into a grand smile. She crossed the room to him and reaching out for him, she enclosed him a warm hug and whispered in his ear, "welcome, my darling, I trust your travels were safe?"

"As safe as they can be in this weather," he pulled away from her, slightly embarrassed by her pet names. He was a king, for goodness sake, he didn't need a mother to go around patting his head and babying him _all_ the time. He glanced over his shoulder at Elias suspiciously before finishing, "I'm sorry if I kept you waiting."

She followed his gaze, and smiling at Elias with a sickly sweet grin, Elara instead, "Lord Arven, if you would."

He bowed gracefully, accepting the dismissal, and exited through the door Elara had entered through. As soon as he was gone, Elara's smile dropped and she flipped around on her son, her hands pushing his hair out of his face, so that she could take in the dark circles under his eyes. She made a tisk sound as she insisted motherly, "why didn't you tell me about the nightmares returning darling? I would have left and gone to you straight away if I knew!"

Maven pulled away from her and argued, "it was hardly necessary, I'm almost eighteen years old mother, I don't need you...supressing them anymore."

Elara frowned at his words, but sank down on the couch submissively, her gaze suspicious as she whispered, "is everything going to plan in Archeon?" She had no doubt in her mind that it was. He son had wanted this bad enough for years, there was nothing that could stand in his way, except for himself of course. But she had infused him with a dose of confidence before she had left, and had immediately set the next stage of her - _their_ \- plan in motion.

"Yes, Evangeline is safely in power, and she and I will be officially wed in a week," he muttered before he smiled at her brightly, warming her normally cold heart, "everything is almost set."

His eyes told a different story, and her heart fluttered with worry. She had worked too hard to get where she was to lose it all because her son had rekindled his sentimental feelings. She also hated it when he kept things from her, and she knew that he did often. Pushing an annoying stray strand of hair that had fallen from its place behind her ear to mask her irritation she insisted, "the _nightmares_ darling, what have you been dreaming about?"

She saw him stiffen, his shoulders straightening as he hissed, "I don't need you to-"

She had had enough of this, leaping to her feet she advanced on him and pressed her hands to either side of his temple, her mind instantly probing his for the source of his night terrors. She knew this was a serious breech of their relationship, but sometimes, she had no choice by to do this. She couldn't always see clearly into his mind, and what she did see were flashes that ran through her mind at the speed of a bullet. What she got was not what she had been expecting though. She pulled away in reproach and hissed, "about her, you have nightmare's about the Barrow girl and... your _brother_?"

Maven sneered as he reeled away from her and caught himself on the table, knocking over the pile of books stacked there. "He's no brother to me, and my dreams are none of your business!"

Elara sneered in disgust, she had of course known about her son's passing fancy with Mare Barrow, but to dream and have nightmares about Cal and her being together... that was taking it too far, that meant he was jealous, and that he still harbored dangerous feelings for her. Her heart ached though at his tone. Of course his nightmares were her business, they had been her business since he had been a toddler and come to her crying about them. She hated that he was turning from her now.

But she hated that Red girl with all her being, hated the power she possessed, and hated how she had turned her own son's ambitions against her own. Maven had insisted that if they caught Mare, Elara would shape her mind to be the obedient Silver solider she could be, and she had smiled and promised. But what Elara had secretly planned was to rip Barrow's mind apart like a starving dog tore into meat. She had planned to kill the girl and then go to her son and whisper that she hadn't been strong enough, that she had died during the process. The feelings Maven had though would make it very difficult for her to remove Barrow without hurting her son more than he was already.

"Forget about her, forget about Cal, let the two disgusting creatures have each other to their hearts content." Elara insisted, her voice softening as she slipped toward her son and took his hands in her own, hoping to sooth him. His eyes only narrowed in repsonse, and he pulled away. For a moment, Elara was shattered, he never pulled away.

"Is everything progressing here on schedule, I want to be able to run a simulation in a few weeks." Maven whispered, his eyes on the horizon as he watched the storm blow through the village there. Elara sighed, and bowing her head, she replied, "yes, but we've had some... set backs."

Maven glanced at her over his shoulder, and with his lips drawn in a tight line, he tried to hide his irriation. That was six set backs in three months, and he had been shuttling New Bloods here the whole time, but soon, soon he would run out of lies to tell the people. "What kind of set backs?"

Elara sighed as she paused and sank down onto the couch once more, her eyes distant, even though a sneer twisted her beautiful features. "They all die, no one survives the whole process."

Maven's stomach turned, and he clenched his fists together, it had to be perfect, it had to work the way he wanted it to, if it didn't, all of this was for nothing. Damn his mother's plan, _his_ plan would be for naught. He blew an aggravated sigh through his nose to release the agitation rising in his veins, and reached up to run his fingers through his dark hair, pushing it out of his face. He glanced up at Elara, and in the dark light from outside, she saw that he looked haunting like his father, with her icy eyes exploding as the loudest of his features. The shadows played under his eyes and made his cheeks appear sunken, but that could have been attributed the nightmares.

He sighed, a tight smile pulling at his lips as he whispered, "very well, I'll double the amount I send in, and you can keep experimenting."

Elara smiled, happy to see him so driven finally. Her spies in court had been whispering to her that Maven had appeared distracted for weeks now, as if something were nagging at the back of his mind. She bowed her head to him, and smiling to herself, she replied, "oh course my darling, soon there will be no one to challenge you."

Better yet, no one to challenge them, certainly no more Mare barrow, and certainly not Tiberias Calore to return and take his throne. She smiled to herself, she would kill that bitch's son, and she would never have to live through the prophesy that the cursed Seer had muttered with her lasts breaths as Elara tried to rip it out of her mind. No, it would not take place, she would do everything in her power to stop it.

 _A/N_

 _Hello everyone, sorry this one took a while, and is kind of short, I had a bit of writers block. Anyway, so we're about to get into the serious war stuff, so fair warning, I've never really written a war book, so it may move sort of slow, but we are about halfway through the story, and I'm aiming to finish before Glass Sword comes out._

 _Any who, we got a bit of a look into what Maven's up to, *laughs evilly*. So Question time:_

 **What do you think Hector's up to? It obviously isn't anything good, but do you have any guesses? *evil smile***

 **Or do you know what Maven's up to, and what the heck is Elara doing instead of being at court? *evil laughter***


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

 _I stumbled through a dark forest, where the shadows stretched across my path, and the vines that hung from the branches tangled around my feet and created a rather difficult obstacle course. I had already been forced to use the sword at my hip to cut a path through them, but as I pushed through, they would close up around me, like they were trying to suffocate or entrap me._

 _I managed to finally reach a clearing in them, and heaving for breath I leaned against a tree only to pause when I felt the touch of cool marble and not rough bark pressing against my arm. I glanced up to observe the change in surroundings, and stumbled backwards in horror. I slammed into a set of doors that closed and refused to let me escape the nightmare before me._

 _Lying across the floor, strewn like marionettes that had been cut free of their strings, were members of the Scarlet Guard. Their masks were soaked with their own blood, and the flag that normally was stabbed into the ground in the place of every victory had been stabbed through Farley's chest. Slowly, she turned her head, and for a moment, I thought I would be sick. Dead corpses didn't move like that, but she still did, and with a sneer she choked, "_ _Y_ _ou didn't tell us, you led us into this, th-all of this is your fault."_

 _I pressed my hands against the doors and took in heaving breaths to keep the acid in my stomach down. Before I could actually be sick though, the scene seemed to spin and blur until the room was empty of everyone, except for a single figure on the dais, forced to its knees with a bag tied around its head to keep their identity a secret._

 _I suddenly found myself in front of them on the dais, and up close, I could see that their shoulders were shaking with sobs as they_ _gasped_ _for air. Behind me, I could hear soft whispers, like a breeze that had been let into the chamber, and with their arrival, my whole body went numb._ No, no, no, not this one _, I thought as my hand reached out and yanked the bag off to reveal the person beneath it. What I saw when the bag had fluttered to the ground was not what I was expecting, but was in a way a hundred times worse._

 _Looking up at me with sorrowful eyes that spilled tears down her blood coated face, was Mare. For a moment, she looked surprised to see me as well, and then her eyes fell to my hand which was resting on my sword hilt, and slowly unsheathing it. She started crying again and looking up at me she pleaded, "_ _P_ _lease, please, I'm sorry Cal, I'm so sorry, please don't."_

 _The metal sang as it left its sheath and I felt my arm shaking as I tried to stop it, but I couldn't, nothing was under my control anymore. My chest had constricted and I felt myself gasping for air as I tried to stop, but the muscle in my arms were no longer under my control._

 _Mare's sobs ended suddenly, and when I looked down at her again, my cheeks were wet with tears. She looked up at me with a slightly pensive stare, her eyes glassy, as she_ _begg_ _ed, "_ _T_ _his isn't you_ _._ _T_ _his isn't you."_

 _I felt a cry of anguish rip itself out of my throat as my sword came down in a swift blow-_

I woke tangled in the blankets, and sitting bolt upright I gasped for breath. The room was dark, except for the small amount of light given off by the gas lamp resting on the makeshift table. Lying on the floor across from me was Mare, with Maggie curled up in her arms. They were both still sleeping peacefully, and I let out a breath that rattled through my chest, and slowly set my head in my hands which shook like leaves in the fall breeze. I swallowed past my dry throat, which felt hoarse as if I had been screaming.

Glancing at Mare again, I saw her shift slightly, and Maggie uncurled herself and rolled away to face the wall. The innocence of the moment sent a knife of ice into my heart, and I shoved back my blankets and stumbled to my feet. I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway. I grabbed the jacket near my bedding, and pulled it on quickly. I tried to avoid Mare's shadowy form. I couldn't bear to look at her as I sprinted for the door. If I would have turned around as I left though, I would have seen that Mare had opened her eyes, and glanced over her shoulder to watch me leave.

The training room was blissfully quiet, and as I clutched the staff tightly in my hand, I inhaled the musty scent of the rock to calm myself. If I strained my ears, I felt like I could almost hear the sound of the pounding cascade of water that was located in the center of the compound. This silence I could deal with, it was different to be alone in silence. When I was, I felt like I could actually focus on my problems, but at the moment, they were mounting and I felt their pressure like an anvil on my chest. Everything felt like too much, when I went to sleep nightmares pounded at my head. Then, during the day, the stares and glares made me want to go back to bed. It was a vicious cycle, one that would surely drive me insane given enough time.

Heaving for air around my constricting throat, I spun the staff in a slow circle, bringing it behind my back and forward again, just getting lost in the rhythmic movement, the cool air that blew against my cheeks and shoulders, and the empty space around me. My shoulder throbbed painfully with each swing, but I pushed past it, I had to loosen it. The medic had warned me that if I let it get too stiff, I would lock up and I would risk separating it again.

As I brought the staff around my back once more, I felt a slight change in the air current as it rebounded off another body. I felt my chest constrict in panic as I swung the staff and myself around to hit whoever had snuck up behind me.

I froze in horror though, and stopped the staff before it cracked across Mare's head. She didn't even blink though, as if she somehow knew that I would stop my swing before I actually hit her. The staff wavered for a moment, so near to her head, that it had touched the hairs that had fallen out of her braid. Her large brown eyes were glowing in the low light and she breathed calmly even though I was heaving for breath in front of her.

"D- _Don't do that_." I berated her as I yanked the staff away from her head. She watch me curiously after that, as I stormed across the room and shoved the splintering pierce of wood into its holder. I could feel her eyes on my back, burning a hole between my shoulders blades as she tried to think of what to say.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized softly, her steps just as soft as she crossed the room to me. As she moved, I realized why Mare had been such a good thief in the Stilts, she moved with a grace that I didn't even think she knew she had. She was like a sprite, with steps as light as a hunting cat's, but she didn't stalk like one, she seemed to float.

"I wasn't scared," I snapped, as I glared at her over my shoulder, "I was surprised, I could have killed you-" the words stumbled on their way out, and Mare sighed as she started, "Well, you're starting to scare _me_. Waking up in the middle of the night, crying out for something to stop, and then hiding in here. You woke Maggie too, I finally got her to calm down and then you-"

"You honestly think I have any control over what I dream about? You think I have control over what she chooses to see? You must think _so_ _much_ Barrow." I growled at her, and I watched her flinch away, her gaze looking to her bare feet. I felt the beginnings of a smile, I could see the wounds I was inflicting, and it felt good to hurt someone else. It felt painfully good to put my pain on someone else. I hated to hurt her like this, but sometimes I had to, I had to remind myself that we couldn't get close again. I wondered if she thought the same way.

"I think that you're bottling too much up, taking on responsibilities to hide what you're really feeling from yourself. I think you're pulling yourself apart on the inside when no one is looking, and trying to stitch yourself back together when everyone is looking." She directed this to her feet, as she stepped forward slowly and picked a staff up and held it tightly in her hands, as if she could combat my responses with it. She turned it slowly in her hands and then whispered, "That's what I think."

I watched her hypnotic movement, for a moment, unable to give a reply that wouldn't agree with her words. Her right hand was a little unsteady, she had always been a dominant left hander, and it irked me to no end as a right handed combat stylist. It had been one of the first things I had noticed about her fighting style, the next had been that she moved like leaves in the wind. She didn't step through the moves, she danced through them, and I was taken aback by how beautiful she made fighting look. It was an aggressive dance, and when I watched, I was mesmerized by the sway of her hands and the tapping of her feet. She danced like she should fight, and she fought like she should dance. She was a contradiction in and of itself, but a hurricane of one, that tore down all opposition.

She glanced up at me tentatively after my silence, and then with a slow sigh, she put the staff back and changed the subject, "My mother said something to me a while ago."

I frowned as I met her eye finally. She had revealed what was under her surface, but I couldn't so much as break a tiny brick from my wall to let her see what was underneath mine. I couldn't bear to show her how damaged everything was underneath what she believed was the Prince in shining armor. "And what did she say?"

Mare sighed and crossing her arms, she hugged them close to her chest, as if she could hug all the warmth back into her body, "She told me that I shouldn't trust you, because good looking boys like you will break my heart."

We were silent for a few seconds, the only sound between us our breathing as we both let her words sink in. When I didn't say anything, she turned away and began to cross the room to leave. Her foot falls were silent as she walked, and I watched her hair sway. In the faint lights, she looked like a ghost and my stomach turned as I remembered my dream.

"What did you say to her?" I inquired softly to her back. The words barely left my mouth, but she still heard them, and froze on the other side of the room. Slowly, she turned to glanced at me over her shoulder, her eyes slowly turning to glass, as if she were about to cry. "I told her that that could never happen, because I'd already broken yours."

She turned at that, only to pause in the doorway once more, her hand holding the doorframe and her other hand wrapped around her middle. She didn't so much as look back again as she squeaked, "Goodnight, Cal, I probably won't see you in the morning since you're leaving so early." With that, she turned a final time and closed the door to the training room behind her, leaving me insilence again. This time, it wasn't as comfortable as when she was there.

Hours later, I found myself in the back of a truck, with a party of twelve on its way down to one of the small villages where they had been stocking up supplies for us to bring back. The truck bucked underneath me, and I started, my back straightening as I ran a tired hand down my face and rubbed my neck to smooth out the knot there. Next to me, Shade grunted in his sleep and grumbled, "You'd think a man could try and get a decent night's sleep when they're driving for half a day."

He sighed heavily, and then straightened up as well, his gun resting in his lap as he stretched. Across from him, Kilorn was still sleeping, his neck bent at an awkward angle that made my neck hurt just looking at it. In the front of the truck Hector was speaking loudly with the driver. I had caught only fractions of what he was saying, but none of it was exactly good to listen to. It was mostly him just commenting on Farley's leadership skills, what he thought of me, and what he thought of Mare and myself. That was when I had started to ignore him. There were some derogatory things I never wanted to hear.

Shade turned his head in the direction of the truck cabin, and grumbling again, he crossed his arms, "What a cheap shot, I'd like to see him hold a gun and go around fighting."

"What do you mean, is he not coming out with us?" I wondered, finally interested in something Shade had to say. For most of the drive he had tried to make small talk, asking me about Chelsea, Torin, and Maggie, but mostly Chelsea. Although Shade had never made a motion to join us in training, I had a feeling that he had mastered everything he needed to know about his ability.

"Of course not, he thinks his position on the Council means that he's too valuable to lose. If you ask me, I think he'd be more useful as a meat shield." Shade shrugged as he reached down and shifted the safety on his gun, only to switch it back off. The sound seemed to stir Kilorn who had been sleeping soundly for the past four hours. He opened his eyes and glancing around the truck sleepily at all his comrades, he muttered something under his breath. He stretched slightly, and almost kicked Shade who had stretched his legs out as well. They made awkward eye contact, and Shade raised his brow to state, "I hope you're comfortable."

Before Kilorn could respond, the truck went over a bump that wasn't expected, and my gun clattered out of my lap and onto the floor. I reached out for it, but before I could grab it, Kilorn kicked it a little farther away. When he brought his foot back, he made sure to kick my hand too. I pulled my hand away in pain, shook it, and tried to displace the needles running through my skin as I glared over at him. He smiled at me, his upper lip curling around his teeth as he questioned, "Everything alright Silver? You almost took a nasty tumble there."

"Come off it, Kilorn, leave him alone," muttered someone on the other end of the truck. Kilorn glared at them down the way, and Shade smiling to himself, reached into his pocket, his smile widening as he inquired, "Kilorn, how about we settle this like real men, instead of children?"

The young man turned his burning gaze on Shade and then looked down at his hand to see what was there. I frowned as I looked down as well, my gun forgotten for the moment as I looked down at the worn case in Shade's hand. It was decorated with swirling gold colored thread in beautiful patterns that danced across the cover. A couple of the men down the way perked up upon hearing Shade's question, some even standing slightly to see what was in Shade's hand.

"If you insist, but you've always been terrible." Kilorn mocked, his grin widening as he rubbed his hands together, "So, what are we playing for?"

"Bragging rights, if you will, and maybe a little bit of something." Shade replied wryly, as he opened the case and slid a worn deck of cards into his hands. The ends were frayed with age, and the color had faded to a dull orange. I glanced up at Shade and muttered, "Gambling's illegal."

Winking smartly at me, Shade insisted, "Only if you get caught Silver," he fanned the deck out and began to shuffle it against his knee, "Besides, what's life without a little fun? Maybe it's time for you to live on the edge a little bit."

My lips pursed into a tight line at the shallow insult, but Kilorn laughed heartily and sneered,"Please, he's lived on the edge enough by just being around your sister."

Shade shrugged and making a ticking sound with his tongue he warned, " _A_ _h, ah, ah,_ Kilorn, a poor sport is a no one's friend."

That got a few hoots of laughter, and Kilorn straightened as he taunted,"Bring it on, I've always had your number in this game."

"Well, time on the front lines can change that, I'll tell you that much," Shade smiled and winking at me again, he held out the cards and shouted out, "Any takers?"

A few of the men smiled and took a hand of two, and I watched, fascinated as Shade held it out to a few more people who bowed out politely. Shade only shrugged at them, and then offered the deck to me. I shied away slightly and refused, "No, thank you, I-I don't know how to play."

A few of the men started in surprise and one of them cried out in outrage, "Nonsense, what kind of a man doesn't know how to play poker?"

"The kind that has had a silver spoon in his mouth from the time he's born," Kilorn hissed under his breath, as he peeked at his cards. I straightened at the insult and went to rebuke him only for Shade to pat me on the shoulder and state, "Well, it's never too late to learn, and it's probably the easiest game you'll ever learn."

"I doubt it," Kilorn muttered again, and tapped his cards together before settling back he continued a little louder, "We simpletons are not interesting enough for his _royal highness_."

My lips twisted in a smirk and I grabbed two of the cards from Shade's deck as I countered, "Well it's a good thing his _royal highness_ is a fast learner, _fish boy._ " Even though I had no idea how to play. I had a terrible feeling would make a fool of myself, I was determined to show Kilorn up. A few people snickered at the nickname, and Kilorn looked like he was about to rupture a vein. Before he could leap up and go to blows with me, Shade shimmied between us, and began the game.

 _(/_ _ **Kilorn/**_ _)_

Four games later, I had to begrudgingly admit that the Silver was good. If we were playing with real money, he would have been walking out a very rich man. Shade only seemed to egg him on too, the two of them practically teaming up to take the rest of us down, and sure enough, the others began to bow out, until it was only me and the Silver. Even then, he'd whooped my ass.

I ground my jaw at his smirk as the others laughed and joked about how quickly he'd picked the game up. It was completely unfair, it had taken me years to learn all of my tricks, and he's picked them all up in the span of three hours.

The truck rolled to a stop after we finished out last game. Shade frowned as he began to gather his cards quickly, and stuff them into the case and back into his pocket. Outside of the truck, we could all hear Hector's boots crunching on the gravel, and it sounded like bones begin crushed beneath his feet. When he finally reached the back of the truck and heaved himself up into the frame of the entrance, he began, "Well, ladies, we're here. Everything looks to be in tip top shape."

Shade grumbled something under his breath before standing and inquiring, "I thought we were going south more, the base we need to pick everything up from is at least another few hours-"

"I'm afraid that part of our mission was canceled, we have a new mission." Hector interrupted, his eyes scanning the truck to see who would disagree with him, and seemed to settle on the Silver for a few moments before he continued, "our new mission, is of a greater importance." His chin rose in defiance ad been nothing but kind to me, giving me a high position in the Guard, and even offering to teach me what he knew about leading patrols.

"Feeding your people is of great importance," The Silver interrupted, his hands tightening on his gun, which he must have grabbed after we stopped. Hector's eyes darted to him, and with a patronizing tone he retaliated, "Well, Silver, I'm glad you think that way, maybe you should have told your daddy that." For a moment, the Silver looked like he had been slapped across the face, and the look only became more obvious as Hector continued, "Another thing, I hate to break it to you, but you're no general anymore, you're under _my_ command. You will speak when spoken to, and the rest of the time, you will sit tight and shut up."

For a moment, Cal looked stunned, and I felt the slightest inklings of joy. Finally, someone was putting him in his place, I just was disappointed that it wasn't me. Slowly, his eyes narrowed though, as if he were a cat observing his prey before pouncing. He gradually leaned back, and for a moment, it looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it.

Seeing that he had won the first battle, Hector smiled wanly, and gestured outside, "Behind us, is the entrance to the Sicase airbase, inside of which, is a well stocked armory. We are to take the armory, and hold it until reinforcements come."

Shade's brow rose in speculation, and he leaned over to whisper something in the prince's ear, his expression suspicious and guarded as he glared at Hector. Shaking his head, the Silver turned away and began to fiddle with the things on his wrists. Apparently, Mare had spoken with Council and voiced that the Silver needed the stupid things to fight, and Hector had told the rest of us that he was vulnerable without them. I supposed after that, the best time to catch him on his heels would be when they were off. After watching him for a couple weeks though, it appeared that he never took them off.

Straightening in the doorway, Hector smiled and waved us forward before leaping onto the gravel again. Everyone rose, and standing above the Silver, I glared down at him and Shade before filing out with everyone else into the sunlight. The gravel crunched under my boots, and I could smell the scent of moist ground after rain. Overhead, a few miles away, air jets streaked across the sky, apparently the Silver's were running drills, showing off as usual.

Behind me, the Silver leaped down and landed on his toes like a cat. He was surprisingly agile and graceful for his size, and just that thought made my stomach burn with jealousy. If that was what Mare wanted in her men, then fine, I could pack on ten more pounds of muscle and walk like I was better than everyone else.

Shade landed in the gravel last, and the truck rumbled to life before pulling away. The Silver flipped around to watch it go in surprise, before turning forward to glare at Hector's back and ask, "And how long do you suppose it will take reinforcements to find us?"

Glaring back at him, Hector sniffed impatiently and replied stiffly, "A few days, we should be able to-"

"You're out of your mind. You can't hold the Sircase Airfield for a few days. It's one of the most heavily fortified bases. It's the last checkpoint for air jet squadrons before being sent out to the front lines. there's no way we'll be able to take it and hold it with ten men," He lectured as he pointed in the direction the truck was going, "And now, you've stranded us, with no reinforcements, no support, no _supplies_ -"

A few of the men shared worried glances before looking at Hector in terror, their eyes wide and their jaws moving nervously as they realized that the Silver was probably right. Hector seemed speechless, his eyes wide, and the veins in his neck bulging as he tried to come up with the right words to sway everyone back to his side.

I stepped up immediately, clutching my gun tightly as I encouraged, "Nonsense, we're the Scarlet Guard. We can handle anything thrown at us!"

"You're an arrogant fool then, and that will get you killed." The Silver retorted, as he lowered the gun to his side, and for a moment, I saw a spark in his bracelets as he spoke. His eyes were like fires, and I felt a bead of nervous sweat run down my neck. He was intimidating, in spite of what I thought of him. He was taller than most of us. Even though I was almost as tall as him, and Shade was practically the same height, he carried himself in a way that made him appear ten times taller. I guess that's what they taught you in prince school, though, how to appear like you were better than everyone, and make them all feel like the common dirt that you walked on.

Hector leaped on the silence though, raising his gun as he shouted, "Kilorn is right. We can handle this, and if the Silver get's cold feet, he can stand out here and wait for the others."

The men nodded, pleased with their commander's confidence and gave a slight cheer before turning to follow Hector towards the base. Shade stepped up next to the Silver, his expression ashen as he dejectedly spoke, "Do you really think we can't?"

"I _know_ we won't be able to, not even with you and me," The Silver replied before setting his jaw and starting after the others. He looked at me carefully as he passed. For a moment, I thought I saw a flash of concern in his eyes, but he looked away and followed the others before I could catalogue it properly.

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

The Sicase Airfield was situated in a low valley, with open air on two sides to allow for airjets and airships to enter and land, but the valley walls on the other two sides protected it and made it easy to hold if needed be. The armory was located on the far side, and was possibly the most heavily guarded, because it housed some of the more advanced weaponry, including bombs. I could remember its layout like the back of my hand because in many instances, I had been run through simulations on how to defend it if need be. I suppose this made it easier for me to sneak in though. I knew the weak points, but as we continued toward it, I already knew that we weren't heading for a weak point. As we made our way slowly through the underbrush and trees, I couldn't stop my stomach from turning, we should have run into a patrol, or one of the bases outer defense perimeters already.

We walked through a low quarry like area that was scattered with brush running up the sides of the gently sloping valley walls. The trees provided excellent cover, but I still couldn't stop from glancing up the walls for patrols. Every muscle in my body had been tensed and wired for hours as we made slow progress through the forest, and nothing calmed me, not even the soft banter of the men, and the normally comforting sound of marching feet.

Eventually, Hector stopped at the front of the party, and held his hand up for us to pause. A few of the men sighed in relief, and a few settled down into a crouch to catch their breath, some even collapsed onto the backs and closed their eyes to rest. Shade paused next to me after pushing the tree line, and shifting his pack, he muttered, "what's wrong, you look like a deer that's about to be shot by a hunter."

"We should have run into resistance by now." I replied carefully, before moving over to one of the trees and running my hand over the bark. It was smooth, and as I ran my fingertips up and down it, I felt for the grooves that gave away heat monitors, or infrared cameras. It was an old trick that I had been taught when I was young, around all perimeters of the bases, there were high tech security systems to prevent exactly what we were doing. In some areas there were "security nets" or areas of mass security, with wires tapped into trees every twenty yards to create a net in midair that caught anything that moved, and alerted the base of its presence.

My finger pressed lightly into one of the grooves, and my head shot up in fear as I glanced through the brush for signs of squadron uniforms. A few of the men saw my reaction, and began to look around as well, even though they had no idea what I was looking for. I paced out twenty steps to the right, and felt the nearest tree. Sure enough, there was another groove. My head snapped to the left as I squinted to see through the trees. I had tied the cloth that Farley had given me originally around my lower face, and it stopped some of the glare from the sun that was reaching through the trees. In the shadows, I saw a faint glint of something metal, and my heart began to speed up as I beckoned Shade over with a single finger near my leg. He frowned and crossed to me, his expression confused as he murmured, "What?"

Leaning toward him, and pulling him to face me so that no one could hear, I whispered carefully, "We are in the middle of an ambush."

His eyes widened in horror, and before he could sound any alarm, a gun went off in the underbrush, and a man fell to the ground, letting out a cry of agony as the bullet pierced his arm. I tackled Shade to the ground as another bullet shattered the bark of the tree behind us. Suddenly the clearing we were in was alive with the sound of men shouting as they tried to throw themselves to safety.

Kilorn was on the ground already, his hands over his head as the bullets screamed above him. Shoving Shade toward the brush on the right I ordered, "Get them all to the stream over there, it leads down to a small shed at the bottom of the valley with a door in the floor, it opens into a set of sewer tunnels, that will lead you down to a small hide away, go there, and I'll follow later."

"What the hell are you going to do?" Shade shouted over the commotion as he began to follow my order, his eyes wide with fear as he began to drag himself with his elbows away. Grimacing under my mask, I hissed, "I'm going after Kilorn."

Before Shade could protest, I began to drag myself out from the cover I had thrown us in. Around me, the dirt was peppered with bullets, and I was forced to rolled out of the way of a few of them on occasion as I dragged myself toward Kilorn's body, which had gone unnatural still. I could only hope he was still alive. I wasn't sure what would happen if Mare saw her best friend, who she had tried to save so many times, dead.

When I reached him, I grabbed his shoulder, and he pushed my hand away, his eyes widened in what could have been terror, had he not been sneering at me. "Get off of me, Silver!" He shouted as he tried to push away from me. _At least he was alive_ , I thought snidely, as I grabbed onto his arm tightly and threatened, "Either you come with me, or you get turned into target practice. I doubt Mare would want that."

"What would you know about what she wants?! _I'm her best friend_! You were the one who took her from me. I would know what she would want!" He shouted as he pushed me away and reached for the gun in front of him. My chest clenched at his accusation and grabbing him around the waist, I yanked him behind me. "I would know, she risked her life and her cover to save your sorry ass, _twice_. She sure as hell wouldn't want you to die out here, that's for sure."

He struggled behind me until I pulled us into the safety of the underbrush. His hands reached out to slap me, one of them balling into a fist and hitting me across the jaw, stunning me momentarily. He pushed us down the bank and into the stream then, his hands wrapped around my neck as we went. We rolled all the way down and splashed into the water, with him on top of me. He pressed his hand to my face as soon as we broke the surface, turning it sideways and pushing me under the water. I struggled underneath him, panic setting in as the water rushed over me and into my mouth and nose, as he refused to let me surface for air. I had always had a natural fear of water, and being submerged in it was more than enough to drive me to hysteria.

I grabbed onto his wrists and shoved, manhandling him off of me, before sitting up and gasping for air. He stumbled to stand in the water, and I kicked out, taking his feet out from underneath him.

There were shouts from the tree line as the patrol began to follow us, and before Kilron could grab me again, I yanked him toward me by the front of his jacket and threatened, "You're lucky Mare's your friend because if she wasn't, and you tried to kill me like that again, I would have left you behind to die."

His eyes enlarged at the threat, and I threw him downstream. Leaping to my feet, I pushed him ahead of me, so that we were sprinting down the river.

The bottom of the stream was just like I remembered with the shed in front of it. Shade was crouched behind a set of boulders with another man, giving cover fire as we broke the tree line and made a dash for the shed. Kilorn threw himself behind the rocks, and sucked in heaving breaths of air, his arms wrapping around his middle as he gagged on water and dirt. I managed to slide behind the rock as well, my hands empty of any form of a weapon. I must have lost my gun in the clearing, and I cursed myself. A few months without training, and I was already picking up nasty habits. Next to us, behind the other set of boulders, was Hector and the other part of the party. The man who was shooting with Shade paused and shouted, "I'm out of ammo!"

As he looked down to Hector for orders, a bullet buried itself in his chest, and he screamed as he went down. I leaped across the opening and caught him, my fingers flying to the wound as he cried out in agony.

Hector's eyes were wide in shock and he looked left and right in terror before looking at me and shouting, "This is your fault that we're pinned down! The shed's locked!"

I glanced at the door over my shoulder, and saw the lock latching it shut. Grimacing in shock, I looked down at the man strewn across my chest before grabbing the gun that had fallen from his hand. He was breathing heavily as he watched me scramble to my feet and rush to the door. Shade watched me in horror before continuing to return fire, a few of the others joining him. I slammed the butt of the gun into the lock and was rewarded with a crunch. Raising the gun once more, I brought it down and let out a triumphant laugh as the lock fell away. Ripping open the heavy door, I waved everyone inside. Hector leaped for safety first, and the others followed him. Shade remained next to me, firing. Shouting over the noise, he motioned me inside, "Get going, I can handle this!"

Glancing at the man on the ground, who was still clutching his chest in agony, I shook my head and leaped for him, a few bullets breezing past me. A few of them close enough that I felt their brush as they raced by my cheek. Wrapping my arms underneath his, I dragged him toward the opening and into the shed. Shade followed, yanking the door closed. His gun gave a last click, and with a shout of frustration, he threw it to the floor and bolted the door closed. The bullets pinged into the metal, and it wouldn't be long before the patrol realized where we were going.

I slowly set the man onto his back, his eyes were bulging out and settling down next to him, I began to undo his jacket trying to get to the wound. Out of it, fluttered a single piece of paper, coated at the corners with a light smear of blood from his wound. I picked it up and turning it over, I felt my heart clench in agony. A little girl with pigtail braids smiled into the camera. A smile that held enough voltage to run the sun.

"My daughter," the man choked, his breathing labored as tears began to roll down his cheeks, washing away some of the dirt. Around us, the others were shouting, trying to get Hector come up with some resemblance of a plan. Shade seemed to be leading the attack, while Kilorn led the defensive, the two of them were yelling and gesturing wildly. No one seemed to see their fallen comrade or even me crouching above him.

I grimaced at the scene, before handing the picture to the man, and whispered, "She's beautiful."

He smiled weakly, his voice wavering around his tears as he spoke, "I promised her I'd see her when I got back, and I would bring her a rock, she loves collecting 'em, and I just-" He coughed for a moment, a sprinkle of blood escaping as well. I winced as I reached down and began to peel the jacket away to observe the wound. As soon as the jacket came away, I wished I had never removed it.

The bullet had been dusted with small debris that was meant to clog the wound and prevent any sort of healing, unless it was done by a skin healer. I looked away and grabbed my pack, digging through it to find the water canister, so that the man didn't have to see my worry. "Well," I began, as I yanked the canister out, and began to pour some of the water into the wound, "You're going to be able to keep your promise, I won't let you die."

He laughed softly, but I heard the gurgling sound in his chest as he did, and the movement made more blood roll out from his lips. He grabbed my wrist tightly, "Don't bother Silver, I know a lethal shot when I see one," he coughed again, his whole body bending as he choked on his blood. He reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a small round pebble. Holding it out to me, he looked at it sadly before holding the picture out at well, "Take it, give it to her, tell her I'm sorry, Silver."

Shaking my head and tried to hold him still so that I could wrap the wound, but he was persistent, and with a gasp of agony, he shoved the objects into my hands and pleaded, "please, I'm begging you Silver."

I froze for a moment, my hands closing around the pebble and his hand. He sighed for a moment, and as if the last of his life were carried in it, a single roll of blood slipped past his lips as his eyes closed, and his chest fell still.

I hadn't noticed the silence around us, and my hand shook as I clutched the rock and picture. Slowly, I set the man's hand over his chest, and without looking up, I tucked the two objects into the breast pocket of my jacket.

It felt like everything had tunneled. I had seen death plenty of times, had seen soldiers die, had seen the men killed on the battlefield. This was different, it had been personal this time. I had known a small part of him, had played a card game with him only hours before.

My chest constricted, and with labored breaths, I put my water canister away and shouldered my bag. The other's seemed to watch me, fascinated, as I rose from my crouch and muttered in a hushed tone, "I promise I'll get it to her."

I stepped into the group, and Kilorn at least had the decency to bow his head away to avoid my gaze. I straightened up, no use letting everyone think I had been defeated, even though I was crumbling on the inside. They needed a leader now, someone to show them that it was going to be okay, and Hector was certainly not the man for the job. Grabbing one of the guns stored along the wall, I turned to face the group and tried to state simply, "We will have to move quickly, they knew we were here from the minute we stepped on the ground. We'll have to take the tunnels underneath to get out."

"And what do you propose after that?" Hector argued, his words like poison as he realized his position of power was being threatened. Narrowing my eyes at him, I declared, "A few miles to the west of here is a Red village, we might be able to acquire transport or send a message for help from there."

A few of the men nodded in understanding, their fear melting away slightly, and with a twist, I realized how nice it felt to be in control again, not having to rely on some idiot with an ego complex to lead me to my death. Shouldering the gun, I crossed to the door in the corner of the shed and unbolted it, before yanking it up to reveal the damp passage below. Motioning for everyone to make their way down, I ordered, "Single file, I will lead when we get down there."

One of the men nodded, before leaping into the darkness, and after that, it was a steady stream until Hector and Kilorn. Hector sneered in my direction before leaping down, and Kilorn paused. We were the last people in the room, and with a hard tone he announced, "For Mare." After that, he leaped down and joined the others.

I sighed, and lowering myself into the darkness, I glanced one last time at the man lying on the floor, my heart aching as I vowed once more, "I promise that I will give it to her," then I let go and dropped into the darkness.

(/)

The lights of the Red Village were faint on the horizon as we approached them. I paused at the hillcrest, and after glancing down into the valley, I glanced over my shoulder at the party behind me, most of which was stumbling with exhaustion at this point. They passed me slowly, and Shade came up the back, supporting one of the members on his shoulder that had been wounded on our way out of the tunnels. We were the walking wounded, with most of us sporting injuries that were severe enough to cause problems. A few bullets had grazed my arm, but the blood had dried long ago, coating the ripped sleeve of my jacket. My hands were bleeding from climbing up the brush covered hills, and my nails were coated with a light spray of red blood from the man we had left behind.

Shade sighed next to me as he shifted the man slightly and sighed, "I think we might have to stop for the night. We'll never make it to the village like this."

I nodded heavily, I was starting to feel the effects of the ten mile trek now too, not to mention the sleep deprivation from my nightmares.. Running my fingers through my hair and pulling my mask down, I nodded and glanced ahead at the men that had stopped to wait for us. "I think you're right. Tell the men to set it up, I'll go ahead to the village and come back."

"You're kidding right? You go in there dressed like that, and they'll kill you." The man on Shade's shoulder grunted. His expression was hidden by the darkness as he shifted to stand up straight. One of the only women in the party walked over, and pulling her mask down she offered, "I could go ahead, I know this village. I used to come here with my father to trade our wares. I know someone who could send the message."

She smiled warmly, and shifting her pack, she gestured over her shoulder and stated, "I could get there on a run too."

Shade snorted under his breath and muttered, "Show off," but his lips still curled up in a smile as he continued down the hill toward the group of men at the bottom. The girl smiled to herself and then turned the smile on me. She shrugged for a moment, then pushing her hair out of her eyes she inquired, "So I should go then?"

"I'll walk you to the edge of the trail," I replied softly as I began down the road after Shade and the others. She sprinted to keep up with my strides, and with a hesitant cough she interrogated, "So, are you and Mare Barrow anything... _special_?"

Startled, I glared down at her and stuttered, "Who-wh-what makes you say that?"

She seemed surprised at my reaction, and then with a raised brow she replied, "Well, Hector said that you two spend a lot of time together, and that she's been kissing your-"

"There is no kissing between the two of us, of any sort, and besides, we're partners." I replied sternly, but she seemed unconvinced, with her brow still raised and doubtful expression. She shrugged and walked past me. "If you say so," She stopped, "I can show myself to the village from here." She offered me another smile and with wink she said, "My name's Noel, by the way. If you're ever in a tight spot, just give me a call."

Frowning, I watched her turn and start down the path, her hips swaying more than I thought was necessary, and every few steps she looked over her shoulder at me. I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized what she was trying to do, and turning on my heel, I took quick strides toward the small camp that the other's were setting up. No use getting too attached to anyone in the Scarlet Guard, besides, I'd had my fair share of Red women. Mare Barrow had been enough for me.

(/)

The small fire I had started was slowly dwindling down to embers as I sat leaned up against one of the logs. I hadn't been able to sleep even though I had set up my bedding a few feet away. My mind was pulling a hundred directions at once, and the expected return of my nightmares was not something I planned to enjoy.

Reaching out slowly, I stroked one of the burning wood chunks. I sparked it up, and created another flame that danced across the others. The flames licked at my fingers gently, and for a moment I was relaxed. When I was little, my father had shown me how to play with the flames, warning me that although fire was beautiful, it was deadly. Smiling fondly at the memory, I reached out and coaxed the fire up a little higher, watching as they danced across the other burning pieces of wood. I wondered if he was watching me, maybe grumbling over my softness and inability to pack up and leave. It wouldn't surprise me if he was ripping his hair out over everything.

"That's a neat trick."

I started in surprise and glanced across the fire to see Shade slowly propping himself up on his elbow. His brow was raised in curiosity as he looked at the fire. Shrugging, and settling in again, I glanced back into the fire and replied, "Well, not as cool as being able to teleport anywhere you want."

"Yeah, well, I wish I could do that. There _are_ limitations to what I do." Shade scoffed as he threw himself back onto his back. Smiling to myself, I stroked the fire again and raised my brow at him. He rolled onto his side again, and with a frown he inquired softly, "So, can we have a heart to heart here. You know, be honest with each other?"

My smile fell slowly, and sitting up straighter, I nodded. Heart to hearts were not my best social suit, even having them with my father had been difficult. He had always expected the right response, and the last time our opinions conflicted, it had been over Mare Barrow, and look where that got me.

He shifted again until he was facing me completely, and then with a sigh, he conveyed, "Look, I understand that you're going to be spending a lot of time around my sister, and even though you two aren't… well… you know..." He raised his eyes to meet mine, and I tried not to appear taken aback as he continued, "But I suppose that I'll still have to give you the talk that I was going to give to anyone who my sister brought home."

Frowning, I shifted uncomfortably and replied, "Honestly, you don't have to-"

"Don't take this from me, Calore. Anyway, I just have to let you know that my brothers and I are each in the six foot radius, and we are all street trained. My dad owns a gun that he normally keeps on his person, so you get the picture."

Smiling wanly at me, he shrugged again and laid back down to look up at the stars. The fire crackled loudly, between us and as I looked down, I realized I had been raising it the entire time he had been talking. Yawning, Shade stretched slightly and teased, "I can see that I've made my point."

I opened my mouth to argue with him, but he had already rolled over to go back to sleep. Sighing, I settled in and wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm. A cold breeze had started to blow in, and overhead, I could see a few heavy clouds that looked like dark ink spots blocking out the stars. They promised snow or rain, or maybe both. For a moment, I felt a sort of melancholy sadness envelop me. I missed home. I never thought that I would miss the stifling palace walls, but I did. I even missed the people I had once known. I missed my old life, and for a moment, I felt the bitter resentment building up again. I shoved it down though, I had promised myself that for the sake of everyone involved, I would try to ignore those feelings.

Judging by the faint light on the horizon, it must have been close to morning, which meant I had been sitting in front of the fire for hours, just staring at the flames and trying not to fall asleep. Reaching into my pocket subconsciously, I pulled out the pebble and the picture of the little girl. Something about it was comforting, yet saddening at the same time. It carried a sorrowful spirit with it, and as I ran my thumb over the fading image, I tried to memorize the girls features so that I could give it to her.

Near me, I heard someone shift, and I glanced over to see Kilorn moving in his sleep. His expression was twisted as he dreamt. I could only guess at what he was dreaming about, but from the looks of it, it wasn't anything good. Hector was sleeping a few feet away from him, his expression strangely calm considering the fact that we had almost all died a few hours ago. I felt my lips turn up in a sneer at his actions, what kind of a leader went into a suicide mission and tried to lie to their superiors about it?

In the distance, I heard the crying of a horse, and looking over my shoulder and down the trail, I could see the light of a single lantern swaying slightly. Starting to my feet, suddenly, I woke Shade again by kicking a rock to him by accident. He sat up quickly, and a few of the others woke as they heard us, their sleep heavy eyes looking for the source of our panic. The horse cried again, and as the lantern came closer, I saw Noel riding in the back of a wagon, waving to us as a young woman drove the cart toward us.

Leaping out of the back of the wagon as it came to a stop a few yards away, Noel ran to us, her smile wide, as she broke the edge of the clearing and pointed behind her. "I got her, she says she can take us to a platform where we can catch the Undertrain back toward the base at the bottom of the mountains. From there we can take one of the trucks and travel up the mountain."

Hector frowned and before anyone could say anything, he shoved his blankets back and stumbled to his feet. Advancing on Noel, he inquired harshly, "And you're sure we can trust this woman?"

"I-" Noel began, but Hector silenced her with a dismissive wave and digging his finger into my chest he hissed accusingly, "You can come off your pedestal now, I can deal with this."

"I hardly think you're in any position to make demands Hector." Shade interrupted threateningly behind me, as the other men joined him and stood behind me, there arms crossed as they glared down their former commander. Straightening in surprise at the switch of alliances, he stammered for a few seconds before setting his jaw tightly and muttering something darkly under his breath. Noel stepped a little closer to me in fear, and glanced up at me, she asked, "Are we going to go with her?"

Without so much as looking at Hector again, I nodded and replied, "We'll go with her and find a way to compensate her when we get to the base."

Laughing, Noel shook her head and replied, "That's hardly necessary, she's the one that sewed that handkerchief you're wearing. She's already being compensated for helping the Guard."

I watched her turn, and with another light laugh at my reaction, she started toward the woman and began to give her the okay, while others bled back into the camp to pack up the gear. Hector glared at me again, and with a tight lipped smile he hissed, "Well then, I suppose the tables have turned, Silver."

With a huff, he turned and stomped back into the camp, with Kilorn not far behind, still giving me a glare that could have murdered anyone.

(/)

The compound was waiting for us when we arrived in a truck. Shade up in the front with me, and the rest of the party was in the back. As we pulled into the hanger, I could make out four distinct figures standing at the other end waiting for us. The tallest among them was Farley, who was standing like a stone figure, her lips drawn into a furious frown as she glared down the truck. Next to her on the right was Mare, dressed in training gear from what I could see. On Farley's left were Maribel and Thomas, the man that had stood up for me during my "trial."

As soon as the truck stopped, medic teams leapt forward, followed by the families of the soldiers. We had given the death count of two and warned that we would be arriving with wounded. Kicking open the door, which had a habit of getting stuck, I slipped out and was greeted by a small projectile wrapping itself around me. Stiffening in surprise I looked down to see Mare with her arms wrapped tightly around me, her expression fearful as she choked, "Farley wouldn't tell me much. The only thing I knew was that Hector had planned his own mission, and two were killed. I was so worried."

Shifting awkwardly out of her embrace, I ran a tired hand down my neck and replied softly, "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

She smiled at my reply, and then glanced over her shoulder as Farley approached, her eyes set on Hector. Only, he looked defeated for once. He seemed to try and shrink himself as Farley stood over him, her boots adding a few inches and expression making her seem larger than she really was. "I assume I don't have to explain why I'm so furious with you?"

Swallowing heavily, Hector offered a guilty smile and replied, "Honestly, no, but let me explain my-"

" _Explain_?" Farley barked, making Hector shrink again as she snapped, "Oh don't worry you're going to be explaining alright. Not only to the council, but also to the families of the men you got killed, as well as the civilians who won't be getting supplies because you had the delusion of grandeur!"

Hector opened his mouth to argue, but shut it, which was the smartest move I had ever seen him make. He hung his head, and Mare huffed in annoyance as she muttered, "What a snake."

His eyes flew to her, and with a sneer he shot back, "You have no room to talk, Barrow."

Mare glared in surprise at his words and backed into me as Hector advanced on her. He pointed his finger threateningly and accused, "Your silver friend only, too happily, took control of my mission."

"Your _mission_? I think you mean suicide plot." I corrected, as I stepped in front of Mare. I put her behind me, which sheltered her slightly. Hector observed me action with a curious glance as he replied, "Well, Silver, if you would have been smart, you would have known that I brought you to get us into the compound, but since you're too dim-"

"Shut up, you wouldn't know the first thing about Cal." Mare defended as she stepped around to stand by my side, apparently not happy with me for putting her out of the fight. An argument that was between me and the man, who had the brains and guts of the squirrel I had mistaken him for. I looked down at her in surprise. Her fighting spirit was back, like a wind had been bolstered through her sails once more, and I could feel it starting to fill my own too.

"Oh, and you would? Tell us, Mare Barrow, what do you know about the Prince?" Hector said with a grin as he looked back at the families and Farley who looked to be on the verge of pulling her gun and shooting Hector between the eyes.

"He tried to save a man's life and brought back his last gift to his daughter." Shade offered from behind as he finally arrived. One of the men perked up and he happily nodded, "He got us out of the tunnels when we were pinned down. Stepped in front to lead the way, without worrying about his own life."

Another piped in from the ground where a young woman was practically draped over him, her arms wrapped around his neck, "Went back for Kilorn too, while we all ran for our lives."

Mare looked at me in shock, probably wondering if I still had a death wish, or why I even bothered to care about the man who had pinned me down in a hallway to make a point. If my actions didn't tell her that I cared, I wasn't sure what else I could do. Farley didn't look the least bit surprised though, and with a smile she stated, "Well, I suppose Barrow doesn't need any help telling us who Cal is."

Hector blanched in shock, and Farley grabbed his arm tightly in her grip, as if he would try and escape at this point. "Hector Ishim, as a Commander of the Scarlet Guard, I am charging you with premeditated insubordination."

He struggled against her, even when two men came on either side and grabbed his arms, refusing to let go as they dragged him through the hanger toward the main room that the Council met in. I watched him go, my expression guarded as he tried to yank away. He threw me a glare over his shoulder, and then continued his struggle, refusing to give in, even when the guards lifted him off his feet and began to carry him.

Mare sighed heavily next to me, and setting her hand on my arm softly, she whispered, "I know you're probably exhausted, but there's something I want to show you."

Frowning, I let her lead me out of the hanger, and as I looked back, I tried to find the little girl from the picture, but she was nowhere to be seen.

As we walked through the halls, people looked at me and offered smiles before continuing along with their business. Mare smiled at their reactions and then glancing at me, she explained, "They heard what you did, or at least they heard the embellished part, I guess. Something about single handedly leading the group out danger with a gun in your hand that had no bullets with an injured man strapped across your back."

"I think I like the truth better." I muttered under my breath, as a few men bowed their heads, and then nudged their friends and tried to motion to me clandestinely. Mare shrugged and then bumping me with her shoulder teasingly, she replied, "enjoy it, you're big news now, it's spreading through the camps that a Silver saved us."

"I liked laying low." I murmured under my breath, but Mare still seemed to hear me because she winced slightly and spoke softly, "Well, you won't be able to after I show you this."

I frowned as she led me around the corner that finished at the entrance to training room. Outside of the doors, she took my hand tightly in hers, making me glance down at our hands in surprise, and rambled, "I know that this has been really hard for you, losing everything and having to start over like this. So I-well more Maggie and I-thought that this might help you feel better."

Blinking in confusion, I watched as Mare reached out and pushed open the doors into the training room, her lips pulled up in a weak smile. Had I been that obvious? I had not meant to let that much of my pain show through, but apparently it had. Then again, Maggie might have some digging while I hadn't been paying attention.

Behind the doors, the gear had been lined up as always, but a few new things had been added, including a slightly raised platform with the sparing mat dragged onto it, and newly installed lights on the catwalk overhead, and I could finally see that they were not as high as we had thought, maybe only ten feet off the ground, perfect for high and closed tight quartered practice.

Standing on the raised platform in the middle of the mat was Maggie. Torin, and Chelsea, the latter of which, were holding a red flag that had been rolled around the pole. Smiling Mare pulled me into the room, and Maggie bounced on her toes, looking like she was about to burst with something. I looked at her in worry until she leaped up and shouted as if she couldn't contain it any longer, "Surprise!"

I looked around, thinking there was something I had missed, but there was nothing. I looked back at her in confusion, and then down at Mare who had set her head in her hand in exasperation. Sighing, she looked at Maggie and chastised, "I told you to shout it after I finished talking."

"Yeah, well, you also said you were going to say it outside and then bring him in," Torin argued, as he sat on the edge of the mat and crossed his arms. Chelsea frowned down at him in annoyance and said, "Wouldn't she need the flag then." She jangled the flag in front of him for emphasis, and he pushed the pole away in annoyance. Tori went to argue with her again, but Mare leaped in, taking the flag from Chelsea and interrupting, "Yes, anyway," holding the flag lightly in her hand, she smiled and continued, "I figured since you lost the Shadow Legion, you needed a new legion, so we went to Farley and asked her about it and she agreed. So, um, this is the Phoenix Legion now."

Unfurling the flag after her weak speech, she showed me the bright red backdrop with a bird in the center, its entire form made of flames, with a silver crown on its head. Maggie belatedly leaped forward then and shouted, "Surprise!" And looking at Mare expectantly she inquired, "Did I do it right that time?"

Smiling and nodding, Mare glanced at me hesitantly, and held the flag out, like I wouldn't like it, or any of this. Taking it in my hands, I looked down at the bird and then questioned softly, "You made this?"

"Well it was actually Gisa that made the flag, and Maggie came up with the idea for the phoenix, I just asked Farley-"

"It's a phoenix because they're born of their ashes, so we're going to rise from the ashes!" Maggie interrupted, her excitement getting the better of her again. Torin smiled up at her, and I stared in surprise at his reaction. It was the first time I had seen him really smile, and it was slightly warming to see. Mare took my flinch as dislike, and leaping forward, she stammered, "I mean w-we can always change it if you don't like it. Gisa, sh-she could make another flag, and you can name the legion-"

"Why would I do that? I-I love it Mare, thank you." I set my hand softly on her shoulder, and her cheeks burned scarlet as she tried to smile through her embarrassment. Smiling, I clutched the flag tightly and teased, "We're a little short on members to be a legion, though."

"Mare said that Farley says we can go out and find other New Bloods now," Torin answered, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he finished, "And we can go whenever we want since you're a general now, and have free reign, as long as you mention it to the Council."

"I'm a general now?" I stammered, as I looked at Mare in shock. She smiled and with a shrug and a nod she set her hand on the flag and stated, "After Farley heard about the mission, she named you a general and a true Council member in Hector's place."

I blinked in surprise, taken aback for the second time that day. Maggie leaped off the platform and wrapping her arms around my leg, she hugged me tightly and smiled up at me. Chelsea sat next to Torin who put his arm around her shoulders and smiled at her then at me, his animosity gone. Mare moved closer to me and with a warm smile she whispered, "You're our leader now, and I know we're not the Shadow Legion, but we can sure as hell be the family you lost."

My heart swelled at her words, and I pulled her toward me and hugged her tightly. She seemed to tense up for a moment, but relaxed into my hold and wrapped her arms around me, too. It had been a long time since we had been this close. I hadn't realized how much I had missed it.

 _ **A/N**_

Hello everyone, another really long chapter. We get to see a little bit of Kilorn in there, but we mostly get to see Cal. Anyway, I'm proud to finally introduce my favorite addition to this story: **Phoenix Legion** , Mare and Maggie's brain child. (: Anyway, the next chapter's going to be shorter with a happy scene. Thanks so much for reading this far, as we start to head toward the final stages of the story.

Question time!

 **What did you think of Phoenix Legion, and do you like the name?**

Also, you can all thank the wonderful ReineNeko for editing and taking the major task of being my beta. She's joined my squad, and will be hopefully sticking with me through this whole thing. (: So give her a round of applause, because this chapter was riddled with errors before she fixed it.


	13. Chapter 12

_(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I let out a battle cry, as I brought my foot around in what would have been a sharp roundhouse kick, had I not been fighting Cal. He caught my foot with minimal effort and admonished, "You're supposed to be working on the act of surprise, and battle cries don't really help you there."

I stumbled as he let go of my foot, and settling back into my stance. As he turned his head to instruct the other's sitting on the ground, I dropped down into a crouch and swept my foot. He let out a cry of shock as I hooked his ankles and ended up sweeping his feet out from underneath him. He landed on his back with a thud, and I heard him gasp as he rolled onto his side, his arms wrapping around his middle as his diaphragm hitched.

Rising slowly, I glanced down at him with a smile and stated, "It's a pretty good distraction though."

His lips twisted slightly, and he sat up slowly as his breathing leveled out. He began to get up as I crossed my arms, pride radiating off of me at finally besting him, even if I did cheat. He massages his lower back as he replied, "Well, you wouldn't have gotten the second chance in a real fight."

"She might have," Chelsea offered from below. She was sitting cross-legged watching our fight, her eyes analyzing every move. Next to her, Torin was tying his boots to begin his fitness portion, but he looked up momentarily to see what we were all talking about.

Since Cal's return a few weeks ago, Torin had gradually opened up to him. He'd spoken with Cal quietly about something a few days ago, and after that, they'd been attached at the hip. He'd followed him around during training, asked more questions than were necessary, and begged for scraps of information and tips. It was nice to see, though, and Cal had adapted well. From what I had noticed, he'd been uncomfortable at first with Torin's sudden change, but slowly he had begun to open up to him as well. In fact, I had heard them talking a few nights ago after lights out. They had believed everyone was asleep, and normally, I would have been, but Maggie had kicked my knee while she rolling over. I'd listened to the two of them talk about nothing, then Torin had asked about Maven. In the silence that followed, I had heard the hum of far off machinery, and the pounding of Cal's pulse as he tried to decide between ignoring and answering the question. Eventually he had whispered, "I was a terrible brother that put my ambitions before my brother's happiness, that's all you need to know."

Torin had responded that maybe Cal wasn't to blame, maybe Maven was too. Cal had remained silent and rolled over. Apparently, deciding that the conversation was over.

"Yes, but the kick was sloppy because Mare didn't lock her ankle. I could have easily turned her foot and broken it." Cal's words snapped me out of my reprieve, and I saw that he had now turned his attention to Torin who was asking about the technique of the move. The young burner only shrugged and replied, "Well, her ankle was locked the second time around."

Chelsea let out a fit of giggles, and I felt a smug smile tugging at my lips again. Cal huffed in response to the comment, and replied, "Point noted and taken, but in a fight with a Silver, you won't be in the tight quarters like the ones I'm trying to create. You'll be fighting in wider spaces, where they will have an easier time manipulating the terrain around them."

"So then just push them into a corner." Torin argued, his eyes lightening up at the prospect of an argument. Cal narrowed his eyes and inquired, "Oh? And how exactly do you fight them then?"

"KIck 'em in the shins," Chelsea offered.

"Elbow to the stomach, then flip them over your shoulder," Torin shrugged, as he looked down at Chelsea for confirmation.

"You push them down and then step on them a bunch," Maggie shouted from the other side of the room, where she was playing with her mouse. Recently, she had found a way to cast a net of her conscious thought out and call more of the things to her, and it looked like she was trying to create and "circus" with the ones she had found.

"That's not fighting, that's-" Cal began, but he was interrupted by the door into the training room banging open. A not so happy Hector stormed in, with his expression like stone as he took us all in. He passed Maggie's space, and disrupted her concentration, sending the mice running. Maggie let out a cry of frustration. She immediately leaped up to try to chase them around and catch them.

As Hector approached the sparring mat, I glanced at Cal out of the corner of my eye and I asked in a whisper, "What did you do to piss him off now?"

Cal turned to look at me, his mouth opening and closing in exasperation as he tried to rebuke my statement. "I didn't do anything." He hissed in annoyance as he turned his attention back to Hector. He offered the man a fake smile, "Is there anything we can do for you, Hector?"

He paused below us and crossed his arms uncomfortably. He looked around at all the gear and muttered bitterly, "Your presence is requested by the Council."

I frowned as I glanced at Cal and raised my brow in speculation. There wasn't a meeting that I knew of. Then again, Cal was the one on the Council; he should have known his meeting schedule. He looked as confused as I was, though. As Maggie came screaming by, trying to catch one of the mice, his hand snapped out and grabbed the back of her jacket. He almost succeeding in hoisting her a few feet in the air.

"I wasn't under the impression that we had a meeting this morning. Farley said it was after dinner," Cal corrected subtly, as he set Maggie back onto her feet. The little whisperer let out a cry of despair as her mouse skidded across the floor and vanished through a hole in the wall. With a quivering lip, she sniffed sadly and whined, "But my mouse."

I winced, with the luck we were having lately, that mouse would end up in our beds, or worse, inside our boots and clothes. At the moment, our luck was running in that direction. A few days ago, one of the pipes in the ceiling had ruptured, and we'd woken up drowning in our blankets and in ankle deep water. As if that hadn't been enough, Maggie had contracted the cold running around and got Torin sick, then Chelsea. Cal and I had been lucky enough not to get it.

Maggie's mournful cry brought me out of my thoughts, and I saw Cal roll his eyes as he set her back on the ground and soothed, "We'll find you another mouse, Maggie. Believe me, there are plenty running around here."

She sniffed again, and wiped her nose, she nodded and ran over to Chelsea for soothing pats on the back. Hector watched the whole scene with a deep disinterest, and then with another huff, he drawled, "Well, first weeks on the job, and you can't even keep track of a simple schedule? My goodness, how did you even function as a prince in the first place?"

"The same way you function as a human being, with careful consideration of my words and actions," Cal supplied, as he stepped off the platform and landing next to Hector, who stiffened at the close proximity. With a shurg, Cal beckoned me to follow and smiled at Hector once more, "Thank you for the heads up, I'll be sure to let Farley know how _graciously_ you brought me the message."

Snickering behind my hand, I leapt off the platform as well and trailed after Cal. He motioned for Torin and Chelsea to continue their portion of the training, then slipped out into the hallway, with me tagging along at his heels.

As we weaved through the crowd, I glanced up to get a good look at him. It had been awhile since I had just _looked_ at him, and he finally seemed to be getting better. His cheeks weren't so sunken anymore, and his eyes had a gleam to them that made my heart twist in excitement. He was the Cal that I remembered, the one that walked like the leader he was born and raised to be. He slept better now, too. _Much better_ , as if something had clicked in him. I found that I was sleeping better, as well, and for a moment, I wondered if it was somehow connected. Gisa had spouted off a few days ago about the chemicals we apparently give off when we sleep. I had wondered if Cal and I had been giving each other nightmares.

He turned his head, after catching me staring, and with a raised brow he inquired, "What?"

Startled, I looked away in embarrassment and replied casually, "Nothing, you just, uh, have something on your face." I winced at the comment and tried to hide my blush, but there was no hiding it from Cal anymore. With a wry smile, he crocked his head to the side curiously. "Really?" he teased, as he reached up and ran his fingers along the shadow that had begun to appear on his jaw, "I mean, if you want me to shave Barrow, it's only a question away."

I blanched, and stammered, "N-no, th-that's not what I meant- I meant that you-"

"Have something on my face? Yes, that would be hair, Mare, most men have it." He teased warmly as he threw his head back and laughed. I buried my head in my hands in response and shoved him with my shoulder. He only laughed harder, brushing off my attempt to push him like he would have brushed off a fly. I cursed my tiny stature, and punching him in the arm I hissed, "Stop laughing, it's not funny!"

"What's not funny? The fact that you're embarrassed that I caught you staring, or that you are embarrassed by masculinity?" He offered, as he paused outside of the door to the main relay room. His eyes sparkled with mirth, and I had to cross my arms and feign annoyance, as I replied, "Neither, and may I remind you, that I have enough testosterone in my home to power a small city?"

He only smiled in response and opened the door. Glaring at him, I slipped under his arm to enter the room, making sure to dig my elbow into his rib cage as I passed. He let out a grunt of pain and massaging his ribs, he accused, "Sneak attacks are not permitted outside of the training room."

"And neither is arriving late, although, I'd have to assume that's not permitted in the training room, either?" Farley called from the Council's normal meeting spot above our heads. Glancing up at her, I saw her leaning against the railing, her eyes narrowed in playful speculation as she watched us interact. Next to her, Maribel was tapping feverishly at an old screen, muttering to herself. With a flick of her head, that was far too casual, considering how late we probably were. Farley gestured for us to join them, then returned to her council meeting.

At the top of the steps, I noticed that a few of the council members were missing, and with a slight frown, I edged my way toward the railing and perched myself on top of it. I wasn't exactly a member of the council, but as Cal's second in command for Phoenix Legion, I was allowed to sit in and give my two cents if someone asked for it, which was almost never. Cal brought me anyway, claiming it made him feel better to have someone in his corner. I had a feeling it was just because he got bored and wanted someone to complain to.

As he sank into his seat between two of the other generals, Farley motioned to the board, on it, was the map of Norta held up with tiny pins that looked like they had come from a sewing kit. Gesturing to the map, Farley seemed to pick up where she left off, "So as you can see, we're at a bit of an impasse with that tactic."

I sighed. I was bored already, and we hadn't even been sitting here for five minutes. Glancing over my shoulder at the tech pit, I saw Hector weaving his way through to the front, where a young woman was sitting at one of the ancient computers. He bent down and whispered something in her ear. I watched as she shrugged and then pointed something out to him on the screen. I leaned a little farther back to try and see what it was, but before I could, she shut off the screen and got up to follow him out of the room.

"We have a new lead on Elara's whereabouts though." Farley's sudden change in agenda startled me. Normally, when we were this far into the meeting, the Council was still reviewing supply lists and troop orders, not going over special interests.

At her words though, Cal sat up a little straighter and adjusted the papers in front of him. Elara had been a sticky subject between us, still. We had yet to really talk about what had happened with her, but we still both vowed to slit her throat if we saw her.

Circling a portion of the map near Delphie, Farley stated, "A few weeks ago, one of our scouts alerted us that the king traveled down to a supposedly abandoned weapon's plant. He stayed for only a few hours, and then left quietly. We are to assume that Elara is there."

"And what," one of the council members began, "Are we supposed to do with that information. We are all well aware that none of us can touch her."

"Not without singling her out and leaving her defenseless," Cal argued, his expression guarded. I glanced at him curiously, watched him lean back in the chair, and gesture to the map. "Do we know what Maven was doing there?"

"Sadly, we have no scouts inside the factory to tell us what he was doing there. All we know is that they've been shuttling a lot of red children and young adults to a nearby village that was emptied years ago." Maribel replied, as she looked at something on her screen again. She glanced up at Cal again, then glancing at the map, she asked hesitantly, "Do you know what the building was originally used for?"

"It was just another weapon's plant, nothing too special. They built guns, airjets, and trucks like every other plant." Cal supplied, as he looked at the map warily. "Maven could be revamping it though, trying to amplify production. That would explain the Reds being sent in."

As I listened to their banter, I felt a pricking at the back of my mind, like there was something I needed to remember. The feeling escaped me before I could try and pinpoint the thought.

"Well, that's something for us to put in the books, then. I'll probably want to take that plant sometime in the future for resources." Farley stated, clearing putting an end to the conversation. Cal only shrugged and scribbled something down on the paper in front of him. Glancing at Maribel, Farley shifted for a moment, then continued, "I know the last mission that we embarked on was a complete and utter failure, with Hector deciding he knew more about a target than we did, but we have a new mission to run."

Cal looked up in surprise, and I leaned forward in anticipation. As happy as I was to be in the compound training with Cal, I wanted to be out on the front lines, fighting and tearing down Maven. I set my eyes on Farley, almost willing her to hand the mission to Cal, so that he could take me. Although, I doubted that would be her first instinct. Cal had become an invaluable source of information. After he had almost been killed in the ambush and escaped the Sicase airbase, Farley had become desperately protective of him, practically hoarding him, like he was some prized jewel. which in a way he was. He was our ticket into all the bases, the weapons factories, and the ticket to winning this war.

"To take the Delphie weapons factory, and any other factory or base, we'll need to control the power grid, and the most valuable resource Norta has." Farley instructed as she sank down into her chair. She looked exhausted, and I didn't blame her. She'd been out on supply runs for days, making up for Hector's mistake.

"Water." Cal answered softly, his expression thoughtful as he looked at the map once more, his eyes scanning it for targets and already seeing battle plans and strategies. With a tenuous nod, Farley shifted to be more comfortable in her chair and replied, "Exactly, and I want to take Cancorda Bay Water Plant."

Cal didn't look the least bit surprised, in fact, he smiled wryly and shook his head. I heard him mumble under his breath, "Of course you do."

Gestruing to Maribel with her head, Farley instructed her to dim the lights above the table. As soon as the space became dark enough, Farley turned on the weak projector in the center and began. "The plant is three stories, not counting the basement that was sealed off due to an accident years ago." The projection flickered as Farley gesticulated to each story, telling us what was located on each level. Her expression was tight when she got to the command center of the plant, located on the top most floor.

"The command center is located dead center of the compound, inside a glass tube that seals it, should there be any leaks. Around it are catwalks that are a total of thirty feet from the glass. It's impossible to jump across, or break the glass, but at the top of the tube is a ventilation shaft that can be unsealed from the outside." Farley shifted the projection to show us, and pointing it out, she supplied, "It's a small shaft, about two feet wide and two feet high."

"I could fit in there." I offered from my position and everyone turned to look at me curiously. Apparently no one had noticed my presence until now. Cal sighed inaudibly, then pinched the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. Smiling at me across the table, Farley replied, "A little far ahead of me, Barrow, but yes, you could fit through it. Hence why I will need you and the Phoenix Legion on this mission with us."

My heart soared at the prospect, but Cal immediately shattered the hope that had blossomed in my chest.

"No, absolutely not. The Legion is not ready for battle." He argued as he glared at me. He must have seen the hope that flared in my eyes. My stomach twisted in annoyance, and I tried not to open my mouth and argue because he was right. We were nowhere near ready for battle.

"When could you be ready? I can't take this base without you." Farley rose to look at Cal straight on as she spoke, her expression offering no room for negotiation. She needed an answer, and she wouldn't just take Cal saying that we weren't ready anymore. "In a week, we will have amassed enough troops and resources to take the base. Will that be enough time?"

"No."

"Yes."

Cal and I both answered at the same time, then glared at each other when our answers didn't align. He shook his head at my stubbornness and questioned, "What about Maggie? She's not ready to fight. Chelsea and Torin, maybe, but not Maggie."

"Then, we leave Maggie here, and the four of us go." I argued, my lips straightening into a line. I could feel the eyes of the whole Council as they watched our exchange curiously. Many of their heads swiveled back and forth with the argument, while others shared knowing glances.

"You know she would try and sneak onto the mission, and then we'd be in more trouble than usual."

"Well, we tell her to stay put then!"

"And if she doesn't? Who's going to stay behind and watch her?"

"I don't know!"

"Well it _certainly_ can't be you, and it can't be me."

"I think you two are done." Farley interrupted, her expression bored as she sat back down into her chair. Maribel, the negotiator, offered, "She could stay in the relay room with us while we monitor the mission, and I could keep an eye on her."

Gesturing to her, I glared at Cal once more and stated "See? Problem solved."

Sighing at my antics, Cal shook his head once more and sat back in silence. Farley glanced at him for a moment, waiting for him to burst out in an argument with me again, but when none was forthcoming, she smiled and stated, "Well, there you have it. The Phoenix Legion will join us in the Cancorda assault."

(/)

After dinner, I was carrying extra blankets to the room we slept in, since Chelsea mentioned even having Cal and Torin wasn't making it any warmer. The farther we were getting into winter, the more unbearable the cold was getting.

As I passed the small room that functioned as a shower room, I heard Cal call my name softly. I paused and poked my head around the doorway. I saw him standing in front of the basin of water with the shard of a mirror propped up on the tiny shelf. I raised my brow, then looked back down at the pile of blankets in my arms. He saw my glance, and with a smile, he waved me away and said, "Go ahead and drop those off, I don't need you right this second."

"No, it's fine." I set the pile down on the shelf by the doorway and stepped into the room. It was cold, and I shivered at the icy ground under my feet. Cal gestured with a flick of his head for me to come closer, and I approached tentatively. When I stood next to him, I saw that he had been shaving and I frowned as he looked down at me.

"I need your help. I can't reach a certain spot, and I need someone who's shorter than me to get it." He held out the blade he was using, and I looked at it, terrified. It was a sharp blade, and I watched as he flipped it so that the hilt was facing me. He motioned for me to take it, and with a shaking hand, I gripped the hilt tightly and stepped between him and the basin. Lifting his chin slightly to show my his throat, he explained, "I just need you to get right here." He ran his fingers along his throat, where I could see his the silvery veins pumping precious blood to his body and underneath his chin, where there was still a dark shadow.

"A-are you sure you want me to do this? I mean I've never done something like this before, and-"

"It's fine, I trust you." He whispered softly, as he guided my hand up to his throat. At his words, my pulse leaped, and my body shuddered in surprise. The tip of the blade rested right where his pulse was strongest, and my heart pounded in my chest as I gently drew the blade up. I set it down quickly afterward and said, "There, done."

He laughed, taking the blade again, he put it in my hand and instructed, "You're going to have to push harder than that. You didn't get anything."

My stomach turned in anticipation, as he guided the blade back to his throat. Reaching up to steady my grip, I held the back of his neck softly and pressed the blade in. As I drew it up, he smiled down at me and nodded, giving me permission to continue. I shifted my grip slightly, until my thumb was pressed against the artery in his neck where I could feel his pulse there, like a reassuring beat. His hairs slipped between my fingers like water, and I felt my heart start pounding in my throat. Taking the blade once more, I drew it in a long swipe up his neck and under his chin. He moved as I went, lifting his head to bare his skin, so that it was a little easier. As I took the blade away to wash it, he whispered, "I'm surprised. You're very good at this."

I hid my smile as I washed the blade and replied, "Yeah, well, I do have three brothers who I lived in tight quarters with."

He laughed softly and stepped closer as I turned around to continue. The space between us was nonexistent by that point, and I could feel the heat radiatiating off of him. It soaked through my shirt and warmed me to the core. He trusted me. He trusted me enough to put a blade at his throat, where there was only a small margin for mistake. With a slip of my fingers, I could seriously injure him.

A few swipes later, I was done. Setting the blade down behind me without turning around, I whispered softly, "There, now I'm done."

He ran his hand along the skin and smiling, replied, "So you are."

We stood in silence, then, the two of us glancing at each other and ignoring the lack of space. Lately, I had noticed that we had been standing closer, almost to the point of touching each other. As I looked up, I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes catching the light like stars, drowning in pools of fire. I felt his hand rest on my arm as he leaned down. My eyes widened in terror as I realized what he was going to do, but instead he whispered, "Thank you, I can't tell you how annoying doing that part is."

Our foreheads were so close they were almost touching, and we were sharing the same breath. I could smell the musty scent of wet rock on him, but underneath that, the scent of burning wood that I had fallen in love-

 _No, oh no, not now_. We couldn't do this now, not after we had established such a perfect distance from each other. We'd practically assured that something could never happen between us again. Glancing up at him warily, I whispered, "You're welcome, but, y-you probably could have done that on your own, right?"  
Smiling, he shifted a strand of my hair that had fallen out of place. The action sent shivers down my spine. "Yes, but I wanted you to trust yourself as much as I trust you."

My stomach dropped like I had fallen from a cliff, as he went to close the space between us completely, my mind screamed at me, screamed about the promise I had made, the standard I had set for myself, but inside, I was screaming for this, too. My blood sang as he slid his arm around my waist and cupped the back of my neck softly. My eyes closed instinctively as I banished the thought of my promise, and I slipped my hand up to his shoulder to balance myself. My mother hadn't just warned me to be careful around Cal, she had also told me that sometimes just letting go and giving in to what I wanted could change everything.

"You do know it's freezing without the blankets and-oh!"

We broke away from each other in surprise and turned to see Chelsea standing in the doorway. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open in shock. I caught myself on the basin, as I yanked myself out of Cal's arms in embarrassment. He looked down at me in surprise, but behind his expression I saw pain. I had hurt him by pulling away like that, like I had changed my mind about what we had been about to do.

Chelsea backed out of the doorway slowly, her expression apologetic as she whispered, "Oh, oh my god, I'm so sorry. I-I'll just go…" She turned and sprinted away then, her auburn curls vanishing as she dropped the blanket she had been holding.

Cal sighed in front of me, and bending down, he picked it up off the floor and gathered the others. Turning to look at me, I saw the pain behind his eyes as he apologized, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to do that."

Then he followed Chelsea, leaving me in the room alone. My stomach clenched in agony, and I wasn't sure if it was at the abandonment, or at the fact that we had been forced to stop.

(/The Silver Court: Archeon/)

It was bright for a winter night, with the full moon hanging over the palace gardens below. It casted a pale luminescence over everything below. Standing at the window, gazing down at it, Evangeline couldn't help, but admire the cold beauty of winter. The flowers had all withered to nothing, and the water had frozen in the fountains, but inside, it was warmer than a summer's day.

"So we are agreed, you'll travel down to Delphie and stay there. The court will think you're pregnant, and we can play it off that you lost the child while you were there." Maven commented dryly behind her. He'd been sitting in the chair behind his desk for the entire conversation, reading a file that had been sent to him. marked as confidential. Now, though, he set it down and rose to cross the room. He paused in front of the fire, his eyes reflecting the heat, but absorbing none of it. as he muttered to himself. Evangeline only caught snippets of it.

"Scout saw… damn it… they'll know something by now… have to move the site… move the physicians and the serum quickly..."

"What serum?" Evangeline interrupted, his eyes narrowing. There had been rumours, of course, of a project being secretly funded by the crown to keep it under wraps. Maven's lips drew into a tight line, but he didn't turn to face, didn't even acknowledge her. Twisting the fabric of her shawl in her fingers, Evangeline tried to keep herself calm, but she had no patience left for the man she had been forced to marry.

Quicker than Maven could act, Evangeline leaped for the file and tore into it, pouring over the first page. Her eyes widened in curiosity, but before she could read anymore, Maven had ripped the file from her hands. She let out a cry of outrage at being kept in the dark, and shouted, "What are you doing in Delphie?"

The back of Maven's hand connected with her cheek, and Evangeline let out cry of pain as she clutched the side of her face and backed away with the force of the blow. She let out a hitched breath and standing over her bent form, Maven hissed, "What I do in Delphie is none of your business. You will be sent there, and you will keep your nose out of things that don't concern you."

Evangeline glared up at him, her teeth bared like a cat that was about to raise its hackles to fight. Maven merely sneered down at her before turning to throw the file into a drawer and locking it. Rising to her full height, Evangeline warned, "You can't keep it a secret forever. Whatever you and your mother are doing down there."

Maven's only response was to wave her out. "Pack your things, you leave first thing in the morning."

Huffing in fury, Evangeline picked up her skirts and stormed out of the room. As she rounded the corner to enter the hallway that led to her own rooms, she paused and tried to recall the paper she had looked at. The only thing she had really noticed was the blurry picture of a young Red boy, who had a serial number next to the picture. That, and the large, bright red words below his picture that had stated clearly: _Failure. Subject deceased. 15 minutes and 12 seconds during process. Ten minutes longer than previous serum._

 _A/N_

 _Hello, from the outside everyone! WELCOME TO DECEMBER! For those of you that are Star Wars fans like me, congratulations, we've made it this far. Let's not lose our sh*t, yet, people. Anyway, short little chapter here, probably the shortest I've ever written, but for those you who have been reading closely, this is a very important chapter, much info, very compact. Also, congrats to all the Marecal/Calamari fans that have read this, it's our time now everyone._

 _On that note, QUESTION TIME!_

 _For those who are Marecal fans, what did you think of their little encounter at the end and their relationship now? Are you excited to see what's coming for them? (I let you know that both my beta and I are super excited.)_


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

"But I want to go with you!" Maggie cried, as she clutched Cal's legs. She had latched onto him from the moment she had found out that we weren't taking her with us to Cancorda and had been miserable ever since. On the morning of our departure, she had follow us around, whining about how it wasn't fair that Torin and Chelsea got to go, and she didn't. Her cries and pleas were almost pitiful, and she eventually resulted to grabbing Cal's ankle and made him drag her across the floor like a whining puppy that didn't want to be left behind. He had given her a stern lecture, and she'd stopped long enough for us to finish packing and load our gear in the truck we would be taking.

Now, she was on a mission to make us take her. She'd pestered poor Torin, until he had literally pushed her out of the room and slammed the door in her face. When she'd gone after Chelsea, the older girl had put up an illusion to hide herself, which actually resulted in Cal and me thinking she was a random end table that was standing in the middle of the hallway. She'd tried to turn her advances onto Farley, who being normally awkward around children, patted her head, turned her body around, and pushed her on Cal again.

"Maggie, I wish you could, but it's not safe." Cal admonished while he tried to pry Maggie's arms from around his legs. I had seen how much it bothered him to leave her behind, especially leaving her this distraught, and I had taken charge of her for the morning, so that he didn't have to dwell on the thought and change his mind. Maggie had found a way back to Cal, though, and her cries had been quickly followed by childish tears, then embarrassing outbursts that had actually turned heads.

Cal finally managed to pull Maggie off of him, which resulted in more tears, until he scooped her up and set her on the edge of the truck bed so that she was eye level with him. "And acting like this is not going to change the fact that you're safer here."

I sat next to her, and put my arm around her shoulders, I pulled her close and added, "Besides, if you're here,Cal and I don't have to worry about something happening to you. You do know that Chelsea and Torin are being separated from us, right? _And_ they would have put you with someone else, too?"

She shook her head and wiped her nose on her jacket sleeve. Cal sighed at the action, and leaning his lower back against the truck on the other side of Maggie, he whispered, "And we don't trust anyone else with you."

Maggie looked up at him with big, sorrowful eyes, and managed through her choked throat, "But I can come with you guys on another mission?"

"Of course, as soon as you've learned enough and can protect yourself with your ability. This is going to be a very dangerous mission, Maggie, and we want you in the relay station helping Maribel. You can't do that if you're acting like this." I replied, running my hand up and down her back soothingly. She trained her eyes on me and nodded, as she recalled one of the sayings Cal had quoted regularly, "You can't fight if you don't have a clear head."

"Exactly, and we need you to have a clear head, so that you can tell Maribel if something is going to happen." Cal smiled as he ran his hand over Maggie's curls. His fingers brushed mine near her neck, and he pulled away like I had shocked him. We made eye contact over her head, and I looked away quickly. Our encounter in the shower room was still fresh in my mind, and apparently, it was still a fresh wound with him.

Maggie looked between us momentarily, and although she was blind, there was no doubt in my mind that she had seen the awkward tension between us. She opened her mouth to ask me about it, but was interrupted by Farley arriving with an older man.

He had dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He looked, at most, probably thirty. Under his arm, he carried a case that had wires sticking out of it in all directions. I looked down at his package warily as Farley introduced him. "Mare, Cal, this is Isaiah, one of our other techs. You will be escorting him into the command center."

He held out his hand to us, and with an almost giddy smile on his face, he said, "You have no idea how exciting it is to be working you both. I've heard so much about both of you."

"Hopefully just the truth," Cal answered as he took Isaiah's hand and shook it. I shook his hand next, and he turned to smile at Maggie as he said, "And you must be Maggie, I've heard a great deal about you too."

Maggie made a huffing sound and leapt down from her perch. She ran toward Maribel on the other side of the room, her expression faintly disgusted. Cal sighed and running a tired hand down his face, he apologized, "Sorry about that. She's having a tough time with the fact that she's not coming along."  
"Understandable," Isaiah replied, although it was obvious that something had bothered him about Maggie's swift departure. He straightened out, though, and pulled himself into the back of the truck. Farley watched his back and stepping closer to us, she instructed, "Above all else, you must get him to that command room, I don't care who you have to kill to get him there."

Cal and I shared a serious glance, but we looked away from each other quickly. He turned and started to go around to the driver's side. Farley and I both heard the door slam, and with a huff, Farley turned her icy gaze on me and commanded, "Alright, Barrow, out with it. What happened?"

"Nothing!" I replied, as I stormed by her to get to the passenger's side. Why was it my fault? He was the one that was all sensitive about it! I hadn't even meant to pull away that harshly, I had just been surprised. Didn't I get to catch a break for that?

I slammed the door closed as I settled into the seat and crossed my arms. Immediately, I turned my body to look out the window, so that I didn't have to look at his stiffly set jaw and closed off eyes. I felt his burning gaze every so often, though, and it was then that I would turn and glare at him, too.

A few heartbeats after one of our stand offs had ended, I heard him let out a tenuous sigh. I glanced at him hesitantly over my shoulder and saw his forehead resting on the steering wheel. His eyes were closed, and his shoulders were uncharacteristically slumped.

"Are you going to say something, or just keep glaring at me?" He grumbled, and I had no choice, but to swallow my pride, and say to the window, "I'm not glaring at you."

"I apologized for it, what else do I have to do?"  
"I never said I wanted you to apologize-" I froze, and I saw his eyes fly open in surprise. My throat closed up and my heart beat faster as he straightened up and looked at me curiously. It was as if he were seeing me for the first time again. "Then, why did you pull away?"

"I was surprised, and don't lie, and say you weren't too." I replied stiffly, as I crossed my arms closer across my chest. For a moment, I saw a flash of something other than hurt in his eyes. It might have been hope. I looked away before he could see that I had noticed, and muttered to myself, "And it's not that I-" I hesitated. Should I tell him the truth? If I did, what would he say? I hoped I hadn't imagined that he had wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted him to. At the back of my mind, though, I remembered the distance we had kept, and how he and I had both set it up at the same time. He looked at me expectantly as he waited for me to finish, but I never got to. The door that separated us from the truck bed opened suddenly, and Chelsea piped cheerfully, " We're ready to go whenever you two are ready," she trailed off as she realized that she was once more, interrupting a serious moment between us again. She let out a groan of embarrassment, and whined, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

She slammed the little door closed and vanished like a wisp of smoke. As soon as she was gone, Cal flipped back around to look at me, as if Chelsea had been a momentary distraction. "What were you going to say?"

"Nothing," I lied, as I turned to look back out the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him deflate slightly, as if he knew that I was keeping my thoughts from him. I just couldn't bring myself to shatter the peace between us, even if my heart was screaming for the opposite. Maven's words rang too true, _you better hide that heart of yours, it will only lead you to trouble._

The drive to Cancorda was eerily silent, and for the first time in a while, I felt uncomfortable with Cal. There was not a doubt in my mind, that he felt the same way because every so often, I saw him glance over as if to say something before deciding against it and looking away. I tried to focus on the scenery, but I couldn't stop peeking at him. The moment from a week ago had sparked that fire back inside of me, and I found myself looking at him anew. I saw the scars on his hands as tiny imperfections, and the three faint scars on his cheek from Evangeline's nails as a battle scar, that he had gotten fighting with me. The gold in his eyes was more prominent now, and I admired how the sunlight made it shine all the brighter. His hair was the longest I had ever seen it, and it seemed like such a small thing, but it made a huge difference. I felt like I was looking at two different people. Sometimes, I saw the Silver Prince. I saw that man in his mannerisms, in his quick eyes, and dry humor. But, I also saw Cal, the rebel. I saw him in the new little flaws, and the habits he was picking up, like smiling genuinely.

I glanced away, and as I did, I noticed how loose his shirt looked on him. My stomach did a turn, as I realized that he must have lost more weight than I thought. Then again, I had never bothered to look at him like this and take in every detail. I had just assumed that it was an out of bounds action, but now, I wasn't so sure what the limitations were. We had both erased the line and shifted it drastically. What did my feelings mean? Did I love him? Yes, I did, more than before, probably. Did I have the guts to tell him? Definitely not.

I leaned my head on the window and tried to fall asleep, but the truck bumped along the road at unexpected times. I still closed my eyes and tried, but I was assaulted by thoughts of what would happen when we got to the water plant. We were splitting into three parties, one led by Cal, one by Farley, and one by another young woman who had recently joined the Guard after escaping the front lines. Our plan was simple in essence, the three groups would enter at different points, and converge at the command center, where we would disperse and vanish. Farley's and my group would escape to the roof, where we would repel down the side and escape out to the trucks.

A soft hand touched my back and I jumped, my eyes flying open. It was semi-dark in the cabin, and I blinked the drowsy state out of my eyes. I felt a warm hand on my back still, and I turned to look at Cal, who immediately pulled his hand away and murmured, "We're here."

I nodded weakly, and he flashed me a small smile,before opening the door and climbing out. I watched his form disappear, and with a sigh, I ran a tired hand down my face and opened the door.

Outside, it was freezing, and I hugged my arms to my chest. Flakes of snow had started to fall and coat the ground in soft puddles of downy. A shiver raced down my spine as a puff of frozen air blew through my jacket, but as I approached the back of the truck, I felt a rush of heat, and I raced toward it.

Standing behind the truck were Cal and Torin, the two of them offering warmth as Farley and the other commander convened and finalized the plan. I approached cautiously, hoping not to interrupt, and ended up standing next to Cal. He glanced at me momentarily, his expression soft as he whispered, "Cold?"

I shook my head, hoping he didn't notice my lie. Sighing, he stepped a little closer to me, so that his side was pushed against mine. Immediately, I felt his warmth flood from him, into me. It filled up my whole being, and I pressed into his side to get more. I closed my eyes tensely, and for a moment, I could pretend that none of this had happened. We were just two people that felt something for each other.

I felt his hand on my back again, and with a soft voice, he whispered, "We're moving out."

His warmth began to dissipate, and I felt a strong clench in my stomach at his departure. I swallowed the knife that was lodged in my throat though, and shook myself out. _Finish the mission, and talk with him after_ , I told myself. I wondered if I would be able to keep it bottled up long enough.

(/)

I could hear the slosh of the knee deep water, as we trudged through the tunnels underneath the plant and Isaiah's heavy breathing, as he tried to keep up with Cal and me. The three of us had split off from the main group to take the technician through another way. Cal walked ahead of me, the light on top of his weapon swept ahead of us to show us a path through the maze. My own gun felt like lead in my hands, as we walked. Every so often, I would slip on the ground, and Cal would flip around to catch me. His hands were warm on my icy skin, and I reveled in the heat he emitted.

After almost an hour of navigating the tunnels, we arrived at the large antechamber, which opened up in countless directions. Directly above us was the water treatment sector, with a large grating in the floor that opened to allow maintenance work in the sewer tunnels. Gesturing to me, Cal said, "Alright, I'll give you a boost to open the grate then you'll help pull us up."

He crouched down and opened his palms for me to place my foot. Grabbing his shoulders steadily, I nodded in consent, and with a sharp exhale, he boosted me up, so I could step onto his shoulders. I wavered for a second, my arms swung in panic, before he grabbed my knees to support me. Isaiah let out a breath of relief and watched expectantly, as I put my fingers in the holes of the grating and pushed it up. The heavy metal creaked, as I lifted it, and glancing down at Cal, I whispered, "Step to the left."

He nodded and shuffled to the side slightly, making me wobble again. The grating slid across the floor, scraping the metal, which sent uncomfortable shivers down my spine. I let go and grabbed onto the edge of the hole. Yanking myself up, I struggled, kicking my feet to pull myself up onto the floor.

I let out a sigh of relief and glanced around at my surroundings. On my hands and knees, I could barely see through the massive amount of pipes and steam. Squinting to look up at the catwalks, I saw nothing, no guards or surveillance equipment. There weren't any security measures. My stomach did a strange flip at that though. Were they really that confident in the sanctity of this place, that they wouldn't think to protect it in someway?

Ignoring the worry that was starting to eat at my thoughts, I turned around and reached my hands down into the darkness to pull Cal up. Instead, I got Isaiah's hands around my wrists. He looked up at me fearfully, as I grunted at his weight and tried to pull him up. From below, Cal gave him a thrust up, and he managed to scramble up, looking like a bug on the floor. I reached down again for Cal.

He wrapped his fingers around my wrists, and as I went to lift him, he swung his legs and used me as a bar to throw himself up and grab the edge opposite of me. I watched in awe. He pulled himself up easily, and rolled to his feet. He glanced around, pulled the gun off of his back, switched the safety off, and signaled for me to put the grating back. Isaiah was off to the side, typing feverishly into his device. I glanced at him curiously, as Cal looked up to scan the catwalks above our heads as well. I moved behind Isaiah and asked behind him, "What are you doing?"

He froze upon hearing my question and slumped his shoulders with a sigh, he replied carefully, "The right thing."

Suddenly, there was a scream of an alarm, and Cal flipped around, his eyes wide in panic and fear, as he shouted at Isaiah, "What have you done?!"

Isaiah closed the device softly and replied, "The Scarlet Guard has gone too far, now. I would have thought that as the former crowned prince, you would understand."

"Traitor," I hissed, as I went to leap at him, but he flipped around and tackled me to the floor. I screamed in fury. Holding a knife above my head that he flipped out, Isaiah warned, "No! You're the traitor to your country! I'm bringing peace, and in turn, they promised to save my family!"

My eyes widened at the implication of his statement and flicked the blade of the knife, which glinted wickedly in the light. He let out scream of anguish, and warm blood landed on my face, as he coughed. I threw him off of me in shock, and he landed with a heavy thud on the ground. His eyes widened in surprise, as blood pooled from the bullet in his heart. My head snapped to the right, and I saw Cal standing with the gun raised and his finger releasing the trigger. He looked distressed, as he lowered the weapon, like he had been the one to take the bullet.

I sat up and moved away from Isaiah in disgust. He'd betrayed us and trapped us. There was no way out, now that the Silvers knew we were here.

Cal's hands wrapped around my arms, and wrenching me to my feet, he ordered, "Run! We have to get to the others!"

My feet tripped on the metal floor, as I clambered up. Cal pushed me toward the stairway that would lead us up to the catwalks. Above our heads, the shouts of the Silver guards could be heard, as they flowed out onto the very catwalks that we needed to be on.

They poured into the room like shadows, heralding our doom, and Cal lugged me down a narrow lane between two water tanks to avoid the majority of them. We had to go single file because it was so cramped. He was in front, and I was holding onto the back of his jacket, so that I could keep up with him. He turned right sharply, and my feet slipped out from underneath me. Flipping around, he drew me to my feet, and pushed me in front of him, so that I was going first.

Whenever we came to an intersection, he would push me in a general direction, and even though he was shouting at me, I couldn't hear him over the blood roaring in my ears and clanging alarms.

As we rounded a corner, the blade of a sword came into view and I involuntarily screamed, as it slammed into the tank, only a few inches from my head. I looked forward into the eye of Ptolemus Samos, who smiled like a wolf that had cornered his dinner. Before I could even think to duck, Cal shoved me to the floor. The force of the movement and my momentum forced me to roll into the small crevice beneath the water tank, to avoid hitting my head against anything.

Ptolemus pulled the sword out with a shout, and a jet of water shot out to drench the floor and me. He brought the sword around with a cry of annoyance, and I had no choice, but to watch as Cal leaped back to avoid the blade. It sliced through the material of his jacket, and I screamed, as I reached out for him. Ptolemus brought the sword down from above his head, and Cal barely ducked to the side, as the sword came down and cut through a protruding pipe. It sprayed another jet of water that drenched both of them. The force of the water coming out made them turn away to avoid the icy blast. Cal shielded his eyes, as most of the water was directed at him, which forced him to backstep, away from me.

Ptolemus recovered quicker than him, and raised the sword above his head. He went to bring it down in a blow that would have surely left Cal headless. I let out a cry of outrage and swung my legs together, knocking Ptolemus's feet out from underneath him, but he was much bigger than me, and his feet were firmly planted, so the move had no effect except besides making him angry . He let out a cry as my legs made contact with his ankles and changed the trajectory of his swing to hit me. I rolled farther under the tank, and he missed.

Scrambling out to get behind him, I brought my gun up to shoot, but he swung his sword, which ripped the weapon out of my hands. It clattered to the floor and spun underneath one of the water tanks. I watched it go in horror, then turned to meet my assailant's eyes, again. He smiled at me wickedly, and sneered , "I guess you're out of ideas."

From behind him, Cal appeared, drenched in water, and wrapped his bandana around Ptolemus's throat. The Silver choked, as the cloth began to cut off his breathing, and he swung his sword backwards to hit Cal. He succeeded in catching Cal above the eye with the hilt, and I heard Cal let out a yelp, as he stumbled backwards, his hand immediately going to the cut to stop the blood from dripping into his eyes.

Spinning around, Ptolemus went to face Cal, again, and I took the same opportunity to leap forward and drive my foot into the back of his knee. It bent under the force of my kick, and he let out a yowl as he collapsed and caught himself on another pipe. I brought my foot around to finish the job and connected it with the back of his head. He collapsed forward into the water, unconscious and still.

Leaping over him, I lurched into the water, trying to get to Cal, who was hunched over clutching his face. I jerked his hands away from the injury and shouted over the cascade of water and alarms, "Let me see it!"

The scratch was deep, deeper than I thought. It had split his skin and was pouring blood into his eye, partially blinding him. Reaching up to touch it, I felt his hand close around my wrist, as he gritted his teeth. "No time to play nurse, we have to go."

"You're bleeding everywhere, though!" I screamed in protest, as I tore my bandana off and used it to apply pressure to the cut. He stopped my advance, and staggering up, he replied, "I've had worse. Right now, we have to find Farley and the others."

Although I wanted to force him to stop to give me time to look at his injury and assess what I could do about it, he was right. He was always right. We had to find Farley and the others, if they were even still alive.

Pulling me with him down the aisle, I looked up at the catwalks, as I hear d gunfire. Up above our heads, Farley and the rest of the Guard were pushing their way through. At the lead, Torin and Chelsea both pushed from opposite sides of the catwalks that bordered the room like a square. From what it looked like, they were each taking a side and pushing the Silver's toward a single stairwell where they could hold them off until more of Farley's men arrived. A few levels above Torin and Chelsea, I could see the third group pushing the Silvers down the gantries, forcing them to retreat into Farley's line. We reached the first stairwell, and Cal shoved me up first. Behind him, I heard the pounding of boots, as guards began to converge. I sprinted up the steps, but halfway up, a guard leaped down from the level above and landed in front of me, barring my path. He drew his gun from his belt, and quick as lightning, my hand snaked out to wrap around the barrel. I snapped out at his wrists, forcing him to let go of the gun and spinning it in my hand, so that the barrel was facing him, I fired a shot into his chest. He let out cry of pain and fell back onto the railing, his weight threw him over it and down to the floor below.

Behind me, Cal had throw his gun away, and had lit his hands with fire. The Silvers below were forcing him into my back, and from above, more were coming down to force me towards him. They had trapped us on the stairwell, with no way to go, but down.

I bumped into him, and glancing at him over my shoulder, I commented dryly, "So here we are again, extremely outnumbered."

"Have a little faith," he replied sarcastically, as he smiled at me. I huffed in annoyance and turned to face the first Silver that had advanced on me. He was definitely a strong arm, judging by his size. Groaning inwardly, I nudged Cal's back and shouted, "Switch!"

He spun around to face my opponent, and I spun to face his, who was a dainty girl with fiery hair and gray eyes. She sneered at me, and I saw the water from the floor rising on either side of her like pillars, as she let out a battle cry over the sound of the pulsing water. Raising my hands to defend myself, I called the lightning that had been dormant for far too long, to the surface and fired it at her. She raised a water shield in front of her and managed to diffuse the attack, only for me to reach through the shield and grab her wrists. She let out a cry of agony, and I released her. She tumbled down the stairs and slammed into the man below her, taking them both down. The next one to step up was an oblivion, considering how the metal railing bent under his hands and splintered. Raising my hands, I forced him to hesitate, and in that moment, when his hands were gripping the wet, metal railing, I grabbed it, too, and delivered a shock. He realized his mistake seconds too late, and with a cry at his misfortune, he fell.

Cal pushed into me from behind, shouting for me to duck. I dropped to a crouch, as a sword slashed the space above my head. I felt Cal leaning against me, as he bent his back to avoid the blow. As soon as the weapon had passed, I threw a bolt of lightning behind me, taking the silver magnetron by surprise. He yelled as his pants lit on fire, and immediately, Cal took control of the flame, coaxing it up to a blaze, that forced the man to dive over the railing, into the water below.

Slowly, but surely, we began to push our way up the stairs. The two of us were fighting like a single entity. Each touch was a silent warning or a command to switch, and it became a language that only the two of us could understand. I felt closer to him in that moment than I have ever before. It was as if I could feel the very pounding of his blood in my veins, the strain of each tired muscle, as he continued to fight, despite it, and the triumph of each victory that put us one step closer to safety. Cal had always been a magnificent fighter, graceful, yet deadly at the same time, like a fine blade.

Spinning around to face the final opponent, I was shocked to recognize one of the girls from court, that had been at the lunch with me. She looked deadly, dressed in her battle gear, and with a shout, she leapt down the last step to me. I caught her, but her weight threw me into Cal, who shuffled and almost hit his own attacker.

Spinning to try and avoid him, I ended up hitting the railing. The girl forced me into it, and sneering triumphantly at me, she hissed in my ear, "Down with the Little Lightning Girl."

My eyes widened, as I felt the tip of a knife in my side, but before she could break the skin with the blade, she was snatched off of me. She let out a scream of terror, as she was lifted off her feet and thrown over the railing. I let out a sigh of relief, as Cal glanced over the railing and watched her fall. Below us, the water had started to rise, as some of the water tanks ruptured under the strain of pressure caused by our fight with Ptolemus. I looked down at all the Silvers on the stairs below and let out a surprised exhale, as I took in Cal's handy work. They were strewn about, some conscious, others unconscious, or dead. Many were scrambling to form some resemblance of a squad, again, but before they could, the water from below rose up and wiped across the stairs, washing them away.

It began to rise towards our boots, and I grabbed Cal's jacket to steady myself, as I fell, and managed, "What now?"

"We make a run for it." He replied, as he grabbed me and began to run up the stairs. We reached the first catwalk and almost ran into Farley, who had come running for us, her gun resting near her thigh. She took in our bloody, battle worn states, and with a whistle, she stated, "My goodness, you two, maybe I should just send you two out to fight all the Silvers."

"Not the time for this," Cal grumbled, as he motioned behind Farley to the Silver guards, who were sprinting towards us. Sighing, Farley spun around and fired three shots, each embedded in a guard's head, and they fell one by one. My mouth fell open in shock, and Farley lowed her gun again and sighed, "So messy, I prefer cleaner kills."

"Those looked pretty clean to me," I gaped in awe, but Cal only snorted and muttered, "You hit one in the temple and two in the forehead. I didn't think you had such good aim."

"The front lines will teach you a thing or two about finishing the job quickly." Farley replied snarkily, before taking off in the opposite direction the guards had come from. I took one last look at the fallen guards before turning and following Farley and Cal towards Torin and Chelsea, who were still holding off a horde of Silvers.

As soon as we arrived, the two of them broke away and began to sprint after us, Torin's eyes were wide with the thrill of battle, as he charged to catch up with Cal. Chelsea was not far behind, and as we went, she looked over her shoulder at the men following us. One of them let out a scream of horror and began to claw at his uniform before collapsing to the floor, screaming and spasming like something had crawled into his uniform. The others behind him were no different, and glancing at Chelsea in shock, I saw her smiling as she shouted, "How does it feel to crawl in bugs, Silvers?"

Cal glanced back at her, a quizzical look on his face, before seeing the chaos she had caused behind us and smiled.

We approached the intersection that would take us toward the command center, and as we paused to regroup with the other commander, Cal turned to Farley and insisted, "The mission's butchered, we need to get out of her before we get slaughtered."

"What makes you say that? I thought we were doing quite well." Farley replied sarcastically before motioning for the other commander to go down one of the catwalks.

As the young woman took off in the direction Farley had indicated, her party followed her, leaving us with ten men. We watched them vanish into the shadows, and as soon as they were gone, Farley spun around on us and hissed, "What happened? Where's Isaiah?"

"Dead," I replied coldly, "He betrayed us to the Silvers."

Farley looked dumbfounded, as if I had just slapped her across the face. Eventually, her expression fell, and she sighed. "Of all the people, he was last one that I thought would betray us."

She looked genuinely harrowed at the thought, but less than a moment later, the sound of pounding boots drew all of our attention. Glancing over her shoulder, in the direction that a third of our party had taken, Farley murmured, "Enough mourning the dead, we should get going before we get killed."

She took off at a dead sprint down the catwalk, that ran in the opposite direction of the others, with the rest of us following dutifully. As we rounded a corner, Cal and I caught up to her first, and through her labored breathing, she managed, "The base radioed and alerted us that an airship landed on the roof of this God forsaken building, and the soldiers chasing us came from it. That's our ticket out"

"Hold on, now, stealing weapons and trucks are one thing, stealing an airship is an entirely different animal." Cal argued, his expression was dubious, as we rounded another bend and came to a long gantry that stretched across the middle. It passed by the command center that had a huge gaping hole in the glass, that most likely had come from an explosion. The gantry before us was only wide enough to only allow us to go single file, but there was no other way to get to the stairwell that would take us to the roof and our freedom.

Farley pushed her men forward first, and Cal made sure Torin and Chelsea followed, leaving the three of us last. Motioning for Farley to go first, Cal glanced over the railing to check on the progress of the guards following us. Judging by their shouts, they were close. Farley took the cue immediately and began to sprint across, followed by Cal, and me at the back.

The whole structure was rickety, and was only held up by fragile looking cables. My guess was that the whole thing was only temporary, and we were lucky that it was even there. Ahead of me, Cal was holding onto the railings to balance himself as he went, and I only glanced through the mesh metal below our feet once. The minute I did it, I was almost sick, we were three stories above the floor, and it was a long drop down to the bottom. My knuckles turned white as they gripped the railing, and blood pounded in my ears, as we approached the middle of the gantry.

Farley's boots touched the other side, and flipping around to watch our progress, her eyes zeroed in on something to the right. Immediately, she screamed at us and began waving for us to hurry up. I hesitated and followed her eyes to see Ptolemus's figure on the catwalk. He had his sword raised like a spear that he was about to throw. His eyes were on me, and they looked positively murderous. I shouted to Cal, and he only turned to gaze at the man standing off to the side. By that point, though, it was too late, the sword was in the air, and sailing towards us. I threw myself to the floor and the sword whistled over my head, cutting through one of the cables.

The structure gave a groan and the weight of it ended up snapping the cable next to it. It swung out catching Cal across the back, and he fell in front of me. His eyes looked at me over his shoulder, as the whole thing dropped and angled us toward the floor. The metal plate behind me fell, as it lost its support, and the gantry snapped in the middle, creating a " _v"_ that pointed straight toward the floor. My hands started to lose its grip, and I screamed Cal's name as I slid down, my hands unable to catch ahold of anything.

For a moment, I was airborne, my hands reached for Cal, who had grabbed onto the railing next to him. His hand was stretched out, as if he could catch me, and his eyes were wide with terror as he shouted my name. As I fell through the air, I reached out for something, anything to break my fall, and I ended up grabbing the railing of the other part of the gantry. I swung from it for a moment, my finger's straining as they tried to hold my weight suddenly.

Ptolemus let out a furious shout and turned to sprint around to get to us. I watched him as I dangled precariously, at least a few hundred feet above the ground. A fall that would surely break my neck, no matter how much water was down there to catch me. My finger's began to slide off the metal, and I let out a terrified cry as I began to scurry and pull myself up. For once, I thanked Cal's relentless pull up training, as I managed to get myself onto to the gantry again and hold on. A few feet above me, I saw Cal watching me, his expression looked ashen, as he looked around wildly for some way to help me. Eventually, I saw him set his jaw rigid, before letting go of the railing and sliding toward the end of the part of the gantry he was on. His boots slammed into the pole in the railing, and he caught himself, before wrapping his knees around and hanging himself over the edge, like a trapeze artist. He held his arms out to me, and shouted to me, "Reach for me!"

Stretching myself up while still holding onto the mesh of the gantry, I reached for his fingers, and cursed my short arms, when I couldn't reach. I ended up grabbing onto the mesh again and shaking my head, I shouted, "I can't! You're too far."

He looked afflicted for a moment, and with a sharp nod, he wiggled his body, until he was only balancing his whole weight with his ankles. The gantry gave a groan at his movement, and the cables began to wear. I let out a cry of horror and shouted, "No! Stop, it won't hold you!"

His eyes narrowed, and glaring down at me, considering we were both hanging above our deaths, he stated rather calmly, "Just jump. Let go, and reach for me."

"Are you insane?! I'd never reach you!" I screamed, as tears started to rush down my cheeks. He was asking the impossible of me. Normally I was more than willing to rise to the challenge, but not only was my life in danger, his was, too. Shaking my head, I turned and buried my face in my arm, I was more than prepared to let go and fall, if it meant that the others could get away.

Seeing my action, Cal commanded, "Don't you dare do that right now. Listen to me, Mare Barrow!"

I looked up at him fearfully, and I realized I wasn't looking into the eyes of a soldier, or a general. I was looking into the eyes of Cal, the prince that had come to my rooms and taken me into a moonlit room to dance, the prince who had sworn to protect me even at the cost of his life, and my heart fluttered when I saw that.

He made eye contact with me, and with a taut smile, he ordered, "Just let go. Let go, and jump. I'll catch you."

"What if you don't, what if it can't hold us?" I shouted back. He only set his jaw tightly and argued, "Trust me, just trust me, I won't let you fall."

In that moment, I trusted him more than anyone else in my life.

Letting out a cry of desperation, I let go and pushed off with my feet. I sailed through the air, my hands reaching for his. My finger's skimmed his wrist, and I screamed in terror, as I missed my chance to grab on. I closed my eyes, waiting to feel the drop in my stomach as I fell, waiting to feel the pain of hitting the water, but that never came. Cal's grip wrapped around my wrists, and I opened my eyes to look up and meet his eye. I dangled from his grip, and my cheeks wet with tears. Smiling down at me, he whispered softly, "See, I promised I wouldn't let you fall."

Slowly, he began to pull me up toward him, and wiggled until his knees were securely around the railing again. He pulled me up toward his chest, and wrapping me in his arms, he curled himself up toward the railing and let me grab on before flipping himself and grabbing on, as well.

We both dangled for a second, side by side, and it was then that I looked up at the platform above us to see Farley practically dangling over the edge like she was about to throw herself to save us. Glancing up at her, I offered a dim smile, and Cal gave her a wave. At that, she said something that sounded vaguely like a strong curse word, followed by her opinion of Cal's action.

Reaching up, hand over hand, Cal began to pull himself toward the platform, and I followed behind, my hands finally sure on the railing. At the top, Farley and the others reached down and pulled us the last few feet. I landed on the floor and pressing myself to it, I inhaled deeply and praised whatever gods were here. Next to me, Cal reached out and set his hand softly on my back, I glanced at the touch, and he gave me a faint smile. I repaid the favor, and whispered, "Thank you," I hesitated, about to say something more, but he turned his eyes away and climbed to his feet. My heart sank, and I bit my lip to keep my words from tumbling out in a very unprofessional fashion. If I was going to tell him, it was going to be quietly and in private.

Farley helped me to my feet, and once I was standing, she commanded, "To the roof, we don't have much time."

Everyone turned and sprinted for the stairs, and at the bottom, I glanced over my shoulder across the way, and saw Ptolemus surrounded by his men, all of whom looked extremely worried that we had gotten across. All I could see, though, was the Silver magnetron, his expression was like steel as he glared down at me. I gave him a smirk and a mocking salute like the one Cal gave in the arena and turned and sprinted up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, the door was thrown open to the snow that was falling from the sky in biting flakes. I followed Cal and the others towards the giant airship, that was waiting with it's hanger open. Farley was at the bottom, waving everyone in and doing a head count. Cal and I were the last in, behind Chelsea, who collapsed on the floor with Torin and hugged him firmly. The two of them clutched each other, and I was reminded that they had just completed their first mission at the age of thirteen.

I followed Cal through a door, that led to a short hallway and opened into a giant cockpit. He threw himself into one of the chairs, and with practiced hands, he began to power up the metal monstrosity. It gave a loud roar, and he flipped a switch. I heard the grinding of metal. as the ramp closed. I settled into the chair next to him, my expression concerned. as I asked hesitantly, "Is there anything I can do?"

He gestured to a set of gauges in front of me and ordered, "Keep an eye on those, if any of the needles hits the red space, I need to know immediately."

It was a pointless job. After a short investigation, I found that the gauges were for emergency purposes, and Cal knew what he was doing, so they never budged.

Slowly, I felt the rush of electricity to the engines, and the airship finally finished powering up. Reaching for the lever next to him, Cal slowly pushed it forward, and we began to roll forward as well. I grabbed onto the seat's armrests in surprise at the movement, and Cal looked at me out of the corner of his eye curiously before smiling and teasing, "I told you I'd take you up in airship, someday, and show you that the cycle's better"

We began to approach the end of the roof, and through the windshield before us, I could see the door to the roof bang open again. Ptolemus was the first out, he had a gun and raising it to shoot, he fired a few bullets that only scraped the hull. Cal scoffed at his attempt, then muttered, "You always were a terrible shot."

The airship lifted off the roof, and before I could even register what had happened, we were airborne and bound for home.

(/)

An hour later, Cal had taught me all of the switches, and knobs in front of me. I had a feeling it was because he didn't want to talk about anything else. I spun in my chair to face him, though, and took in his appearance. His jacket and shirt were torn, and his shoulder was bloody from a gash he must had gotten while we were fighting. The scratch above his eye looked worse than before. Without thinking, I reached out and touched it softly. He pulled away in discomfort and looked at me in confusion, as I rose and bent over him to observe it.

My hand wrapped around his neck to keep his head in place and I reveled at how close we were again. I could feel the pounding of his pulse and the heat that rolled off of him. Raising my other hand, I hovered over the injury, my expression twisted with contrition, as I muttered, "That's going to leave a nasty scar."

He shrugged, but didn't try to escape my grip. "One more to add to the collection, I guess."

I pulled away from him slowly, about to question his comment, but I was interrupted by the door into the cockpit opening. Farley stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light of the hallway. She took in our position with a raised brow, and I pulled away slowly, my fingers lingering on Cal's skin as I turned to face her. She narrowed her eyes at my action and stated, "I'm holding a short briefing, I figured you two need to attend."

"Someone needs to fly, so I can't go." Cal commented dryly, as he returned his attention back to the windshield. I could see the profile of his face, and in the faint light of the instruments, I could see that he was blushing slightly.

I sighed and tucked a strand of loose hair behind my ear. "I'll go, then, and tell you everything."

Farley huffed and gestured for me to follow her. As soon as I had passed through the doorway, and the door had closed behind me, Farley spun me around and pinned me up against the wall with her forearm. I struggled against her grip and was about to spit something at her when she whispered softly, "Let me give you a bit of friendly advice, Barrow."

I stopped struggling, and stilled long enough to see the misery that flashed through her eyes for a moment. She turned away to look at the wall next to us, and with a tired voice she continued, "Don't wait to tell him, you'll regret it if you do."

"What would you know-" I began but she silenced me with a glare and replied stiffly, "I would know. I waited, I never told them how I felt. And when it came down to it, we both went south, but they stopped at the Choke, and I kept going on to Norta."

My heart hammered at her reveal, and I saw how deep Farley's heartache ran as she whispered, "I have never been ashamed anything in my life, but this, this is something I will hate myself for, until I die. It's the worst torture in the universe, Barrow."

I could understand that. I was already hurting, and I assumed that Cal was hurting, too. We were dancing around each other like wolves prepared to pounce, but neither of us dared to break the circle. I hung my head softly, and Farley sighed once more before whispering, "Mark my words, Mare, you will always grieve over never saying those three simple words."

With that, she let go of me and turned to walk back into the airship's hangar. I watched her vanish, then glanced over my shoulder at the cockpit where I could see Cal's outline against the light of the instruments. My heart fluttered at the sight, and smiling to myself, I finally allowed myself to hope that there was some form of a future for us. To hell with my promise, it could join the host of others that I had broken. This would be the first one I broke that meant I wouldn't hurt anyone.

 _A/N_

 _Hello, everyone. Little update for you all. At the most, we have three chapters left. This is the longest story I have ever written on Fanfiction and although it saddens me that we are almost done, I can promise you that it is not the end. As I finish this story, I'm also outlining and planning the next two books. (: If I'm done with this story before Christmas, I will surprise you all with the cover, summary, and title of the next story. (:_

 _Alright, so on that note, Question Time!_

 _ **Who do you think will admit their feelings first, Mare or Cal? (;**_


	15. Chapter 14

Warning: Minor Suicide Thoughts

Chapter 14

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

I sat at a table in the crowded mess hall, turning the sludgy soup over, trying to come up with some form of script to talk to Cal. He had been running around in constant meetings, since we had returned from Cancorda, and we hadn't spent a lot of time together. I felt terrible for him. He was never given a moment of rest, and Farley had kept him locked up in meetings all day, everyday, and although that was understandable, it was also completely absurd.

After we had returned from the mission, we had learned that when Farley noticed that Cal and I had not made it to the command center, she had blasted her way into it. She had taken the information that she needed from the computers, and after noticing the alarms, she had gone looking for us. Of course, Cal and I had been furious with her, but she had brushed us off and commented that it was for the best that she had taken the initiative.

Across from me, Maggie sagged down in her chair and moved her soup around in the bowl, her expression twisted with disgust, as she peeked at a piece of corn that she fished out. Next to her, Torin was leaning his head in his hand and had nodded off a few minutes ago. Chelsea was the only one not present. She had, as of late, been clinging to Shade's side, and the two of them appeared enthralled with each other, which didn't surprise me in the slightest.

I glanced up at Maggie and sighing, I whispered, "You better eat that. It's good for you."

She made another face and pushed her bowl away spitefully. I ran a tired hand down my face and decided not to argue with her. Maggie had been furious when she found out about the mission and had screamed about how she could have told us about Isaiah, if we had just trusted her enough to bring her on the mission. After that, she had been bitter and resentful, lashing out at Cal and me like we had physically hurt her. She fought tooth and nail when I tried to brush her hair, and when Cal tried to get her to go to bed, she screamed at him and ran away to hide. As much as I understood how upset she was, she was acting like a toddler about the whole thing.

I heard a hush of whispered conversation, and glancing over my shoulder, I saw Cal and Shade making their way toward us. Next to them, Chelsea was sprinting to keep up with their strides, her fingers intertwined with Shade's. The simple intimacy of the action nagged at my heart, and I glanced at Cal hopefully, wondering if now would be a good time to pull him aside and finally talk to him.

He didn't even give me time to rise from my chair before he began talking. His expression was guarded and he informed us quietly, "Pack your gear up, we're going to Delphie."

Maggie crossed her arms and puckering her lips she grumbled, "And I'm guessing I have to stay here?"

Cal glanced down at her sadly, and reaching out he ran his fingers through her knotted curls and replied, "No, you're coming with us, my orders."

She perked up in surprise, and I straightened, my fear starting to prick at the back of my mind again. "Why are we going so suddenly?"

Shade sat down, and propping his boots up on the table, he replied for Cal, "Maven's down there again, and we have confirmation that Elara and Evangeline are there. They've practically handed us the war." He smiled ruefully and squeezed Chelsea's hand warmly. She gave him a smile, and I watched as she ran her fingers through his hair. The action sent a shiver down my spine, and I dug my nails into my palm to dissipate the frustration on my insides. If there was a mission that could end this whole mess, there was no way that Cal would let me distract him with something as trivial as my feelings for him.

A felt a heavy weight on my shoulder, and I glanced to the side to see Cal squeezing my shoulder gently. He gestured with his head for me to get up and follow him, and my stomach flipped in anticipation, as I rose from my chair. This could be my chance, he looked distracted as it was already, maybe he wasn't as into the mission as I thought.

I glanced over my shoulder once to make sure that Chelsea and Shade were keeping an eye on Maggie, but all I saw was the young whisperer watching me and Cal with a sort of curious smile. Realizing that I was looking at her, Maggie's eyes widened. and she turned her face away from me. It had, of course, occurred to me that Maggie had known about my feelings. It was the only thing I had been thinking about lately, and the only thing I had been dreaming about. Sometimes, it was a nightmare where I never told him, and we were separated by a chasm that I couldn't leap not matter how hard I tried. Other times I did tell him, and he either turned and walked away, or smiled and went to kiss me. I would reached for the kiss, and wake every time just as our lips brushed.

Now, Cal gripped my wrist tightly and pulled me out into the semi-empty hallway. We stood toe to toe, and as I looked up meet his eye, I saw that his expression was twisted into a grimace. My hopeful thoughts slowly vanished like dust blowing away in the wind, as he looked away to avoid my gaze and whispered, "I have to tell you something."

"Oh," I replied in surprise, my hope rising the slightest bit, as I offered him a weak smile and continued, "Well, I guess that a good thing because I have something to tell you."

His eyes flicked back to me, and I saw the worry behind his irises as he began hesitantly, "You can go first-"

"No, I'm sure your information is much more important." I supplied, as I shrugged and pretended it was. I doubted anything he had to say could be more important than what had been boiling up inside of me for the past month.

He looked away to avoid my gaze again, and with a heavy sigh, he ran his hand down his face, and replied, "The scouts found out something about the Reds that are being sent into Delphie, and it's the reason why we're moving so quickly."

I raised my brow in speculation at his statement and gripping his arm tightly, I nodded, silently telling him to continue. He sighed again, as if the weight of the information was too much to bear. "They're only shipping in New Bloods. Babies, kids, adults, whoever they can get their hands on. The scouts say that once they go into the factory, they never come out. Mare, we think that Maven's killing them."

I expelled the breath I had been holding, and my hand dropped down to my side. A mass genocide of people like me. Maven said that he would make every last one of them suffer, apparently, now, he was holding up his end of that horrid promise. My chest felt like a band had been wrapped around it, and someone was slowly pulling it tighter and tighter. Babies, children, he was killing every single one of them. I could almost hear their cries as they died, and the cries of the mothers, the fathers, and the families when they realized that their brothers, sisters, children, and parents were never coming back.

Cal wrapped his hands around my shoulders, holding me in place, since I had apparently started to tip over. I couldn't even meet his eye, and I realized that hot tears were starting to spill down my cheeks and run toward my chin where they dropped off and joined the thousands of others.

"I didn't mean to hurt you with this information, I just wanted you to know why we're going in, and that Farley had promised that whoever we save, they will be brought straight back here, where they are safe." Cal reassured, his thumb coming up to softly wipe away my tears. His touch was softer than a feather, and I wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all.

When I had finally gained some resemblance of composure, I noticed that his hands were still on my arms, and his thumbs were running up and down, as if he was trying to soothe me. To avoid another round of soft touches, I reached up and wiped my eyes roughly, forcing the rest of the tears down for now.

He took a slow step back from me then, as if sensing my turmoil, and questioned, "You said you also wanted to tell me something?"  
Shaking my head, and wiping my eyes a final time, I replied stiffly, "It's not as important as what you had to say."

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

Delphie was a half day trip, not counting the stops we would have to make along the way for weapons, ammunition, and manpower. Farley had joined Mare, Torin, Chelsea, Maggie, and me in our truck, along with her other commander of operations, Dorian, who had helped her plan the Cancorda assault. He was a burly man with a deep voice that sounded oddly soothing, given who it was coming from. Mare had joined the three of us to plan the mission, and had been allowed to give her input along with me because of her attachment to the New Bloods involved.

The first argument came when we couldn't agree how to get into the compound. In the end, we had decided to abandon the trucks at a rendezvous point, hike to the compound, and climb in through the glass roof. We would drop into the manufacturing room, split up, and flood the compound to get the New Bloods to the southern hanger, where we would load them into the trucks and rush them out. The Phoenix Legion would work together on the whole mission, with the five of us traveling deepest into the compound to go after Maven, Elara, and Evangeline. Mare had stiffened at the mention of that part of the plan, but had eventually nodded and agreed that that was the right move

It hadn't slipped my notice that she had been acting strange. After Cancorda, I had been trying to hunt her down and talk to her about what had happened during that mission, but I had been pulled in so many different directions that it had been almost impossible. Now, it had to be the last worry on my list, the mission had to come first, then I could deal with the weird electricity between us.

We broke from our meeting, and Maggie ran to sit next to me, almost falling over as the truck ran over the bumpy ground. She settled in between me and Mare, whipping her head back and forth, so that she was almost talking to both of us as the same time, she exclaimed, "Are we really going to fight Elara?"

I stiffened at the prospect; I imagined Maggie standing in front of Elara, her bright smile falling while Elara ripped her to shreds. Maggie didn't appear to notice my struggle, because she bounced to her knees, and clutching Mare's shoulder to balance herself, she inquired, "Are you and Cal going to kill Maven?"

Mare blanched and pushing Maggie back down onto her bottom, she replied, "I don't know, Maggie."

The young girl looked rather confused at Mare's response, and turning to look up at me, she asked, "What if we get there, and they aren't there, anymore?"

"Not a possibility. Elara hasn't left the base since her arrival almost a year ago, Evangeline arrived only a few days ago, and Maven arrived this morning, there's no way they could evacuate all staff in such a short period of time." Farley supplied from the other side of the truck, where she and Dorian had been busy talking in hushed whispers. I had a sneaky suspicion that their whispers had to do with Hector, who had been left behind at the main relay station in the compound with Maribel. Although he had demanded to be on the mission, Farley had forced him to stay behind. For a moment after she had ordered that, he looked murderous. He had turned on his heel, though, and stormed away, which didn't bode well.

Glancing down at Maggie again, I replied softly, "We will have to see what happens, Maggie."

She looked sad for a moment, as if my melancholy was rubbing off on her. Reaching out, she slipped her hand into mine, and leaned close to whisper in my ear, "The first obstacle is approaching. I believe in you, I always have, and I always will."

I glanced at her quickly, confusion running like a fire through my mind, and saw the last traces of her ability fade from her eyes. She blinked rapidly for a few seconds and offered me a warm smile, her comment apparently forgotten, for the time being. She bounced out of her sea and skipped over to Torin, where she grabbed his hand and began to demand his attention. He sighed at her antics, but smiled nonetheless, and pulled her up into his lap. Next to him, Chelsea leaned close, and holding her hands out, she gestured for Maggie to put her hands in hers. I watched Maggie let out a fit of giggles, as Chelsea conjured up something in her hands. As she opened her palms, Chelsea showed everyone the palm sized rabbit that had come to life and was hopping from fingertip to fingertip. Maggie reached for it desperately, but it vanished, as soon as it touched her hands, though. She made a soft, disappointed sound, and looked up at Chelsea to cry, "But I wanted to hold it!"

Mare watched her with a smile and glanced at me to whisper, "We need to find her other kids to play with."

I gave her a knowing glance before turning to look out the back of the truck, at the dirt road that wound behind us like a snake. At the end of the road, Maven was waiting, a beacon of the past that had been haunting me mercilessly for months. I wasn't sure that I would have the courage to kill him if it came down to it. Maybe a few months ago I would have, but now, I had just begun to realize that he was only bitter with the cards that fate had dealt him and saw fit to try and bluff everyone at the table. It wasn't easy to call someone out. Someone bluffing like that, who had nothing to lose, and everything to gain. No matter what anyone told me, and no matter what he did, Maven was still my brother, and a part of me would always love him and hope for the best. The trouble was, I wasn't sure if I should feel that way going into Delphie.

Resting my head against the metal behind me, I allowed myself a quick glance down at Mare. She had slumped down into her seat and was about to drift off to sleep. Her eyes was half closed, and as they closed all the way, she slumped to the side so that her head was resting against my arm. The action was so simple, yet it spoke volumes. Finally, she trusted me, and I trusted her, after we had almost destroyed everything we had together. It felt good to have someone trust me like that again, I made me believe that I could handle the problems that seemed to be multiplying exponentially around me.

I leaned my head back once more, closing my eyes and pushing down the terrors that were biting at the back of my mind like hounds that had been set loose on a wounded animal. For once, the nightmares didn't come, and I finally slept in peace.

I was jerked awake by the truck stopping suddenly. Outside, the sun was hanging up in the sky, shedding light on the spars piles of snow that had gathered near the sides of the clearing we were in. I shifted slightly and felt the weight on my side slide off. I glanced down at Mare, who had slipped forward, and was teetering, about to face plant into the floor of the truck. My arm snapped out to catch her, and she snapped awake as soon as my arm had wrapped around her. Our eyes met for a split second, and she blushed a bright scarlet as she looked away. I released her quickly and running my hand along the back of my neck, I tried not to appear as put off by her embarrassment, as I actually felt. The few times that we have been that close together had been torturous for me. I wanted every touch to be a silent whisper, a clandestine truth, but Mare appeared oblivious to every advance I had made.

Farley's boots clomped by us, and she gestured for everyone to rise, she shouldered her gun, making her way out of the truck. Maggie leaped out of Torin's lap and landing on her feet she grabbed my hand and began to pull me up. Her eyes were alight with excitement, and for the first time since I had met him, I saw Torin actually look wary. Cheslea rose next to him, and clutching his hand tightly in her own she pulled him close and hugged him tightly. I didn't blame her for doing that either. Although we would all be together on this mission, there was no telling if we would come out together. The truck emptied until we were the only people left. Reaching out, I set my hand on Torin's shoulder and squeezed gently, hoping to somehow ease his worry. He looked at me sadly, and then with a weak nod, he asked, "We go in together, right?"

Nodding, I beckoned Maggie and Chelsea closer. As we all came together, I tried to keep a hopeful exterior, but some of my own worry was starting to leak through. I looked them all in the eye, and holding Mare's gaze the longest, I replied softly, "I don't know what's going to happen in there. We may be separated. If we are though, you have nothing to fear. You are all trained, you are all prepared for whatever you will face today."

Chelsea nodded, and clapping Torin on the back, she replied, "What are we waiting for then? Let's give them a taste of Phoenix Legion."

(/)

The compound was bigger than I pictured it. The blueprints we had acquired from the Cancorda computer hadn't even begun to cover the massive size. It was a good four stories tall, with almost no windows, and no entry points besides the glass roof and the doors into the hangars. Standing before it, I felt a foreboding shiver run down my spine. Next to me, Mare whispered softly, "It's like you said, whatever happens, we're ready for."

I nodded tightly, and suddenly, I felt her hand slip into mine. Squeezing my fingers she gently hummed the song that we had danced to so long ago. The words had never left me, they had always been like a brand in my mind whenever I looked at her. _I don't have a choice, but I still choose you._

Her fingers left mine, and for a moment, I almost reached out and grasped them again, but she slipped away like the dream she was. She broke the tree line with Farley, and I was forced to sprint to catch up to Farley and Mare. We passed into the shadow of the building, and standing at the base of the monstrosity, I looked up at the hint of sun that was glinting off the top of the building. It was going to a long journey up there.

We pressed our backs to the building, and looking back at the rest of the Guard for confirmation, we received a nod that there were no patrols coming out way. Flipping around, we raised our guns which had been fortified with grappling hooks specifically for this purpose. Giving us all a nod, Farley gave the order to fire the gun, and then fired first. We all followed suit, and as I glanced down the line, I saw Torin crouch down and held Maggie wrap her arms around his neck. She wrapped her legs around his middle and buried her face into his neck to keep herself from looking down. As soon as everyone had given another confirming nod, we began to climb.

Halfway to the platform, we were forced to pause, and wait for a patrol to pass. The wind that had picked up, blew harshly around us, shifting all of us. Maggie let out a squeak of fear at the motion, and for a moment, we all froze in terror. The guards apparently didn't noticed the sound though, because a few seconds later, Farley received a confirming message for us to continue.

We reached the roof with minimal problems, and began to split into our parties. Slipping her bandana on, Mare glanced at me, and the sun shone around through her eyes, making them light up. The wind tugged through her loose hairs, and pulled at her braid, whipping it around her face. She looked deadly, and yet beautiful at the same time. Her gaze lingered on me for a moment too, and I wondered if she were noticing the little details about me as well.

I gave her a smile, and then lifted my bandana as well. The fabric was starting to become threadbare after all the elements it had been through, but it still kept the slight chill in the air out. Farley passed between us, breaking the moment, and motioned for everyone to step around the glass entrance. Mare had turned to help Maggie pull her mask on, and with it, the Maggie looked even younger, like a child playing dress up. Her pale eyes flashed to me, and I could see her smiling wildly in them. I wished that I could warn her that what we were going into wasn't a game, that it wasn't some exercise that I had come up with to prepare her for battle, but there was no time at this point. I should have done it on the way here, and now it was too late.

We surrounded the glass, and attached our grapples to the edge. Glancing down into the building, I could see the four levels that seemed to sink down in a never ending spiral of catwalks and stairs. The wind picked up, again, and while it was howling across the top of the roof, Farley brought her gun up and fired into the glass. It splintered and shattered, raining down into the compound like snow. She leapt through her hole, and began to repel down. The reel of wire at her belt whined, as she went. Torin went next, followed by Chelsea, and the the rest of the group. Mare remained on the rooftop with me, before nodding stiffly, and leaping into her own hole. I watched her repel down, like a scarlet shadow into the compound. Crouching down, I opened my arms to Maggie. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before slipping into my arms and wrapping her own tightly around my neck. She pressed her face into my shoulder, and whimpered, "We'll go down quick, right?"

I nodded and replied softly, "It will be over before you know it."

Before she could give the word that she was ready, I leaped over the edge. She let out a shriek of terror as we fell, waiting for the rope the catch our weight. It snagged sharply, and her grip loosened for a moment, before she hugged my neck tighter.

I made sure she was attatched me securely before I dared to glance around at our surroundings. On my right, I could see Mare looking around as well, and just like her, my expression was one of agony.

On every level, rows, upon rows of cells, filled with Reds, who watched us descend. I could only see flashes of their faces, but every time I managed to catch a glimpse, they looked perplexed to see us. Some were pressed up against the bars, their eyes wide in surprise. Others looked terrified to see us. It took most of them a moment to realize who we were, but as soon as they noticed, many of them began to cheer.

We landed on the main floor, and immediately, Farley and her men broke away to the cells closest to us. Everyone began to attack the locks, breaking them and yanking open the doors to release the people inside. Many were young children, who raced to grab their freedom.

The doors into the center of the compound burst open, and Shade arrived, followed by the rest of the parties. Many of the others began to scale the stairs to get to the other levels. The space around us was in chaos, as people ran to find loved ones, or even some resemblance of a friend. A young man broke away to us, and seeing Mare's features, he stopped dead in his tracks. Farley stood above us all, a whole level up already, screaming instructions to her men to start herding people toward the hangars. The man I had seen earlier vanished in the crowd, and I lost sight of Mare, as well. Shade appeared a moment later, pushing his way through to me. His expression was tight as he shouted to be heard above everyone, "Maven and Elara are up in the command center. The guards have all fallen back to defend them, though, I doubt you'll be able to get up there."

"We have no choice, we either take Maven and Elara, or we waste a perfectly good opportunity." Mare shouted at my elbow. She had appeared so suddenly, that I hadn't noticed her arrival. Chelsea and Torin were on either side of her, and Maggie was attached to her legs, her eyes were wide at the mass of minds and sounds around her. Chelsea replied for me, "Shouldn't we get everyone back to the hangar, and then go after them? What if they need us to help get everyone back to the hangar?"

Shade offered her a gentle smile, and replied, "I think these people can handle themselves. They're like us, they can fight."

Nodding, I motioned to the doors out and ordered, "We follow the crowd, then, and when we get a break, the five of us will go for the command center."

Torin nodded, and grabbing Chelsea's hand, he pulled her toward the doors, and Mare followed them, her hand closing around Maggie's shoulder to keep her close. Shade grabbed my arm tightly, and pulling me back he whispered tightly, "Keep my sister safe, okay?"

I nodded, and giving him a smile, I replied, "I don't see why I wouldn't."

I pulled my arm from his grip, and pushed my way through the crowd to find Mare and the others. They hadn't made it far, but as soon as I found her, I noticed that Chelsea and Torin were missing. I looked around wildly for them in the crowd, only for Mare to grab my wrist and shout, "We lost them, they vanished into the crowd. We don't have time to wait for them."

Maggie was still attached to Mare, and as I looked down at her, I realized that we would be facing Elara, the Whisper Queen. Maggie might not stand a chance against her. There was no time to give her to someone else to take to the hangars, and there was no way that we could get her to safety, and get to the command center before Maven and Elara were able to escape. That was the last thing we wanted at this point. The New Bloods were now in our custody, but as long as Maven lived, they would never be truly safe.

I grabbed Mare's arm tightly, and began to lead her toward the stairs that would start to take us up to the others levels. Grabbing Maggie's shoulder, too, I began to navigate them both through the chaos.

 _(/_ _ **Weapons Manufacturing Plant Command Center: Delphie**_ _/)_

Maven practically kicked down the doors into the security room, his fury evident in the cloud of heat that came with him. Elara glanced at him, as he stormed down into the monitoring pit. He glared at every single officer manning a computer and demanded, "How did they get in?"

Elara began to make her way to him, but before she could, one of the officers replied, "They came in through the roof, we weren't expecting anyone to-"

"It's a glass roof, you moron! I told you to have all _possible_ exits and entrances marked!"

Elara grabbed his shoulder and swinging him around to face her, she whispered lovingly, "There's nothing to worry about, they will be taken care of. As we speak, Cal has broken away from the main group with Mare. They will be easy to deal with." Surely, it wouldn't be that difficult to deal with the two of them, now that they were separated from the rest of their precious Guard. The guards manning the stations in this room were the finest soldiers, they would be able to keep Maven safe while she went to deal with the pesky lightening girl, and Cal. At this point, it was too late to go after Evangeline. The girl's level had already been taken, and Elara had watched on a screen as a young man had teleported into the room, and knocked her unconscious before disappearing out the room with her. Evangeline was no more use anyway. She couldn't provide Maven with what he needed most.

Maven's demeanor seemed to cool for a second upon seeing how calm his mother was about the situation, but his eyes were still narrowed in suspicion as he whispered accusingly, "And how do you plan to do that?"

She gave him a feral smile, and patting his shoulder softly she replied, "I will deal with them myself, there will be no mistakes this time."

With that, she swept out of the command center in a flurry of skirts.

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

The compound was silent, as we made our way through it. The other levels were deserted. There were no guards, no sign of any security, although I was sure that they were watching us. As we rounded a corner, we came to a hallway that had smashed glass, and papers scattered about, as if a whirlwind had gone through.

We paused there, looking at the destruction and wondering why it was here. Maggie broke away from me, and went to Cal, her eyes watering as she whimpered, "Something terrible happened here. It feels cold, like someone left, but never really left."

Cal wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and maneuvering her through the glass carefully, he replied, "It's fine Maggie."

She clutched the hem of his jacket like it was a life line, and I followed behind, my eyes scanning for danger. One of the papers fluttered as we passed it, and as it flipped over, I saw the picture of a young boy. There was type all over the paper, but it flipped back over before I could see it more clearly. I frowned, as I glanced into one of the rooms. Inside was a gurney that had straps for tying someone down. There was medical equipment scattered throughout, and on the floor was more shattered glass. I paused, as I tried to take in the scene, but Cal hissed my name at the end of the hall, demanding that I catch up with them.

I sprinted to catch up, and as I met them at the corner, I grabbed Cal's arm and pulled him down to hiss in his ear, "she's right Cal, something happened here, I think Maven was-"

"Well, here we are again."

We all flipped around to see the devil herself standing at the end of the hall. Dressed in bright crimson, and smiling wickedly was Elara. She looked like a devilish angel, with the light silhouetting her, and her hands folded in front of her as she observed us like we were bugs crawling in the mud around her feet.

Cal swept his arm out to push me bodily behind him, so that he was between Elara, me, and Maggie, as if he could actually stop her from hurting us. He yanked a sword, which he had stolen from one of the fallen guards, out of its holder around his waist, and raised it to point it at Elara. She saw his weak move, and with a laugh as light as bells, she rebuked him, "Honestly, Tiberias, darling, we have to stop meeting while you have a sword on you, and the people you care about are nearby." She began to make her way toward us, her skirts sweeping across the floor like pools of blood, and her hands slowly unfolded and fell to her sides, as if she were about to strike out at us.

Maggie let out a soft gasp behind me, and clutching my arm, she choked my name. Cal swept the sword in a circle as Elara began to circle us like an animal looking it's prey over. He glared at her and growled warningly, "You won't make me hurt anyone, ever again."

"Oh, I don't have to make you do anything, you excel at hurting the people you care about without my interference. Your father had the same talent, apparently his looks and name weren't the only thing you inherited from him." Elara cooed, as she paused her circling in front of Maggie. Her eyes zeroed in on the girl, and I pulled her around me, so that she was behind me. Her eyes flitted to me then, and with a feral grin, she inquired, "Still think you can protect people from me, I see. Apparently Lucas wasn't enough of a lesson."

I let out a choked gasp at the name, my heart instantly aching. As soon as the feeling had come, it was gone. It was then that I realized that Elara was already worming her way into my head. I backed up into Cal who pulled me closer to him, and sneered at the woman before us. She smiled at us, his lips pulling back to reveal her teeth as she whispered, "How sweet, so protective of her, as if…" she began to trail off, her eyes widening as she seemed to look at us with a whole new light. Cal's hand wavered on the sword, and Elara let out a barking laugh as she took us in. Smiling at us, she managed through her laughter, "Oh, this will make it even more fun."

She looked dead in my eyes, and for a moment, I felt the tendrils of her power reaching into my mind, starting to pry into my deepest secrets. I closed my eyes, trying to force her out of my mind mentally. Before I could feel her picking my brain apart, the feeling was gone.

I opened my eyes to see Elara's eyes wide, and her hand raised as if she were trying to reach out to me. She let out a grunt of irritation, and seemed to try and stretch her arm out again, but her wrist bent down and she let out a scream of pain and fury as she was dragged to her knees by some invisible force. A few beads of sweat appeared on her hairline, and she screamed out, "What is this?"

"You will not hurt them." Whispered a tiny voice behind me. I looked down to see Maggie. Her arm was raised, her finger pointed threatening at Elara, as she stepped forward and spit, "You will never hurt anyone, again."

Elara let out a gasp of fear and cried, "You're a-a whisperer!"

Maggie smiled mischievously and replied, "Yes, I am a whisperer."

The Queen let out a scream of fury and tried to battle back against Maggie's ability, but for the first time in her life, it appeared as if someone else was stronger than her. For a moment, I saw a flash of terror in her eyes, as Cal stepped before her, the sword gleaming at his side. She eyed it warily before, smiling to herself, and then laughing hysterically. For a moment, I thought that she had broken free of Maggie's restraint, but instead of rising, she looked up at Cal and grinned. "Kill me then, finish the job, Tiberias. Maven's king, I've set my son up for success, unlike your pitiful excuse for a mother."

Cal didn't even flinch, he just narrowed his eyes and gripped the golden hilt of the sword tighter. She smiled up at him, upon seeing the crack in his shields. "That's right, _I_ killed Coriane Jacos. _I_ made her slit her precious wrists, I made Coriane Jacos insane."

Her threat appeared to have no effect, as Cal just smiled and replied sadly, "You're going to have to get some new leverage, Your Highness, I knew that one already."

Maggie let out a groan of pain, and whimpered, "Cal, she's breaking through! I can't hold her!"

I reached forward and screamed his name. Elara turned her gaze on me and spit, "Do it for her, Tiberias, kill me for her."

"You leave him alone!" I screamed, as I went to leap forward. Cal stopped me though and raising the sword above his head, he whispered, "For my mother, my father, and Sara, but most of all, for me. See you in Hell, Elara."

The sword swung down in a beautiful arch, and sang as it met her skin.

 _(/_ _ **Weapons Manufacturing Plant Security Room: Delphie/)**_

Maven let out a scream of agony, as he watched the sword fall. The blade cut through the air, singing triumphantly, as it met his mother's neck and severed her head from her body. He collapsed to his knees, and clutching his head, he let out choked sobs. His chest heaved as he struggled to breathe. No, no, his mother wasn't dead, it was a cruel trick. But when he looked up at the screen again, it wasn't a trick, his mother was really dead, _by his brother's hand_. He had taken everything from him now.

Rising from his knees, he clutched his chest and choked, "Get every man who is prepared to fight ready, I want them all _dead_."

The soldier behind him stammered for a moment, then replied carefully, "We have no one, Your Highness, the rebels have killed most of our men on their way to the hangars, the rest of our men are injured."

Maven let out a scream of fury, and yanking the man toward him by the front of his uniform, he spit, "Fine, if you want something done, you have to do it yourself!"

He reached down and yanked the man's pistol of his belt, and stormed out of the room, his expression murderous as he growled, "For _my mother_ , Cal."

 _(/_ _ **Mare**_ _/)_

We sprinted back for the hangars. We had decided in a quick move that there was no way we would make it to the command center, now that Elara was dead. So, we had turned around and headed back for the hangar. Maggie was sprinting alongside Cal, her hand wrapped in his so that she didn't get lost, as we turned countless corners. We had passed another hangar, that was empty except for old weaponry and mechanical parts. In the back though, I saw the faint gleam of familiar metal, but we lost sight of the hangar before I could truly identify it.

As we rounded the final corner and entered the hangar that the Guard was holding, we saw the trucks that had been loaded with the New Bloods and members of the Guard. Our own trucks had been brought in and were in the process of being loaded, as we arrived. Farley watched us with a careful eye, and taking in Cal's clothes which were stained Silver. Her brow raised in speculation and she inquired, "Your blood, or…."

"Elara's, the Queen is dead." Cal replied coldly, as he approached Farley. The woman's eyes widened in shock and she managed, "And Maven?"

"Still alive, there was no way that we could get to him." I replied as I yanked my bandana down and smiled. Farley sighed, she looked relieved for a moment and whispered, "Well, the Queen's death is enough, not to mention we have the new Queen also. We can fry the king another time."

"You have Evangeline?" Cal exclaimed in surprise, and received a response from Shade inside the truck, who grinned widely. "Obviously, she's in one of the trucks with enough drugs in her to knock her out for a century."

Farley grinned, as well, and climbed up into the truck, which was almost filled to the brim with New Bloods, and Scarlet Guard members. Medics were in there also, checking on the wounded, and they glanced at us, and seemed to sag in relief at the fact that our wounds were minor compared to the others. Cal grabbed Maggie under her arms, and swung her up into the truck, his expression finally confident as he stated, "Up you go, Maggie."

She flipped around once she was in the truck, her eyes wide and glassy as she whispered, "Something's coming."

Cal glanced at her in confusion, but she seemed to stumble, her exhaustion catching up with her. She sagged into Shade's arms, and he picked her up and carried her toward the back where she would be safer. "I've got her."

I smiled at him, but as I went to climb up, I realized that there was no room. The truck was full, and from the looks of it, so were the others. Farley seemed to see my expression, and with a terrified look, she whispered, "We'll find a way to make you fit."

Shade looked up from the back upon hearing Farley, and began to look around wildly for a place to put us. Before he could say anything though, Cal grabbed my arm and replied, "I'll get us out another way. I saw something in the other hangar that might work."

"Another truck?" Shade asked skeptically, only for Cal to smile and reply, "No, a cycle."

My eyes widened, and I looked back at him. He only grinned at me and whispered, "Let's take a ride, Barrow."

(/)

We sprinted back toward the other hangar, my heart hammering in my ears, my blood pounding with panic as we ran. There had to be a patrol coming, something else that they had left to throw at us, but the more hallways that we found empty, the more secure I began to feel. We were going to get away, we were going to save all of the New Bloods, and escape with them. My face broke into a smile, as we entered the hangar, and glancing over my shoulder at the door, I checked for anyone that could be following us. The coast was clear though, and as we crossed the massive open space, I couldn't feel even a prickle of fear.

At the back, hidden behind boxes, and tarps, was our saving grace. I didn't think I would ever be happy to see a damn cycle again, but I was almost in tears over this one. Cal crouched down next to it, and running his hands along the parts, he whispered what sounded like a checklist under his breath. I crouched down with him, but he shooed me away, ordering for me to watch his back. I took a few steps away and crouched behind a set of empty gasoline drums to watch the entrance. My eyes scanned the area above us, which was crowned with catwalks and gantries that criss crossed like a children's game above my head.

Behind me, Cal let out a cry of triumph as he managed to start the cycle, but it died a second later. Letting out a cry of frustration, Cal began to dig around for something, as he grumbled, "Stupid intake valve is bent." He reached for a wrench near his feet and began to work at whatever was causing a problem.

I shook my head at his antics and went back to scanning the catwalks. A lone shadow broke from the others, and my heart leapt in surprise upon seeing it.

Even as far away from him as I was, I could still recognize Maven. His face was pale as ash, and his eyes were shot through with red from what must have been crying because I could see the glistening of tears on his cheeks. I stumbled to my feet, but it appeared that he hadn't noticed me, his eyes were dead set on Cal, who had his back to his brother.

Maven's hand raised, and even though it was shaking, I could still see the weapon there. My mouth opened in what should have been a cry of warning, but nothing escaped. I saw Maven's mouth moving, as if he were whispering something. As he spoke, I leapt toward Cal, my hand flying out to try and push him out of the way. I heard the pop of a gun, and as I stepped in front of Cal, I felt the hot burn of something enter my shoulder.

I gasped in surprise and collapsed to my knees, my hand flying to my shoulder. When I pulled it away, it was coated with blood. My eyes widened, but I didn't feel pain like I expected to. I glanced up at Maven, who had dropped the gun in shock. He looked at me like I was some foreign creature that he had never seen, and I saw the faintest flashes of agony cross his features. That bullet had been meant for Cal, not me, never me.

Behind me, Cal had flipped around, and screaming my name, he let me collapse into his arms. He clutched me tightly and his eyes followed mine to see Maven, and if I had thought he had looked with hatred at his brother before, I had been wrong. The way Cal looked at Maven, was in a way a thousand times worse than he had looked at him under the Bowl of Bones. He looked at him with both disgust, agony, and fury, as if a mix of those were even remotely possible to feel at the same time. Letting out a cry of pain, Cal threw a ball of fire at Maven, who barely managed to dodge it and not fall head first over the railing.

I choked for a moment, my arm slowly going numb as I whispered, "Cal…"

He stumbled up with me in his arms, and managed, "No, don't you dare die on me, you're going to be okay, you're going to be okay, Mare."

He climbed onto the cycle, and settled me on his lap, so that I was facing him, with my body pressed up against his so that he was stifling the blood flow from my shoulder. He wrapped a protective arm around my back and choked, "You're going to be okay, I promise." He sounded more like he was trying to reassure himself instead of me. My head lolled against his shoulder and I began to see the edges of a fuzzy blackness around my peripheral vision. I could feel the pounding of my heart as it continued to pump my precious life out of the bullet wound in my chest. I wondered for a moment, if Lucas had felt like this after the first bullet had pierced his skin. I swallowed around my tight throat, and felt hot tears sliding down my cheeks, as I realized that I might be joining him soon.

The cycle roared to life underneath me, but I barely noticed it. All I felt the was rapid pace of Cal's heart, and all I heard was him shouting at me that everything was going to be okay. I wished for a moment, that it could be.

 _(/_ _ **Cal**_ _/)_

The cycle screamed underneath me as I pushed it to it's limits, and sometimes even beyond that. Mare had gone deathly still in my arms, and I was terrified that she was dead. The only thing that kept me from truly believing that was the faint beat of her heart against my chest. She had gone limp a few minutes ago, and my panic had only risen at that point. She couldn't die now, I wouldn't let her.

We rounded the corner, and I saw the Guard waiting for us. I slammed the cycle to a stop and stumbled up with Mare. Her body cradled in my arms like a child, as I screamed, "Get the medics! She's wounded!"

Farley was the first to respond. She leaped to attention and began screaming for medics, her eyes wide in terror as she ran to me and shouted, "Lay her down!"

Slowly, I fell to my knees with Mare in my arms. She made a soft sound, like a grunt of pain, and I ended up pulling her close to my chest whispering, "You're okay. Breathe. Just breathe."

Mare's head slumped to the side, and her eyes fluttered open and closed until they fell completely. I grabbed her face in panic, my fingers knotting into her hair as I choked, "Open your eyes, Mare! Come back. It's okay. It's over now. You're okay!"

Her chest hitched, and her eyes fluttered open for a moment and they locked with mine. She reached up weakly for me, and I grabbed her hand in my own. She smiled weakly for a moment, and she leaned her head into my chest, as her breathing became shallow. I squeezed her hand tighter and cried, "No! Wake up. Please wake up! Don't do this to me. Don't do this to me. Come back!"

The medics arrived around me, and I felt Mare's body being pulled out of my arms. I let out a scream of protest, but someone wrapped their arms around my middle and yanked me away. Everything had tunneled, and all I could see was Mare's face, as they set her on the ground and began to try and fix her. Her head lolled to the side again, and her eyes opened once more. Her pupils were dilated and had almost eclipsed her beautiful irises. Her hand shook weakly as she reached for me, her face going pale, as she whispered my name. I tried to pull away from whoever was holding me, but they had their arms wrapped around me tightly, and it was then that I heard Shade whisper in my ear, "It's okay Calore, they'll fix her, you have to give them space though, they need space!"

I let out a choked sob and went limp in his arms. I could see Maggie running toward me, her eyes running with tears, as she screamed for Mare. Farley managed to catch her, and swinging her away she commanded, "Don't look, _don't look_ , Maggie!"

She screamed and began to kick out, only for Farley to carry her back to truck, and put her inside. I turned back to look at Mare, whose eyes were staring blankly at me. I felt like I had seen the life leave her eyes, even if she was not dead, yet.

 _A/N_

 _Hello…. please don't hate me for major angst that was this chapter. My beta and I literally cried at the last part. ),: Anyway, I believe that we are still on schedule to deliver the rest of this before Christmas, so be expecting the next book summary, title, and cover, either Christmas Day, or the day after that. I wish you all the best, and a Merry Christmas. I'll see you all in the next chapter. (;_

 _Question Time:_

 _ **What did you think of this chapter? Do you think Mare will make it?**_


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

 _(/_ _ **Shade**_ _/)_

Sitting outside of the medical tent was like waiting to hear a death sentence. The silence around my family was brittle, and was broken only be the soft sound of my mother's sobs as she clutched my father's arm and whimpered. I had never seen my father so distraught. His eyes were glassy and empty, and he seemed to unconsciously reach out and touch me or my brothers every so often, like we would vanish if he didn't check to make sure we were there.

I'm sure he had been like this when the letter that had declared me killed in action had been received, but this was somehow different. My parents had been expecting a box with my things and whatever was left of me. Now, they would possibly get to see one of their children's last breaths. When you only get a letter saying they're dead, it's different from actually seeing the life leave their body. Somehow the latter was more painful, because you felt like you should do more to stop their leaving, and when you read that print, you knew that there was nothing you could have done to stop them from meeting their maker.

Farley was off to the side, her head bowed as she gnawed on her knuckle. Earlier, when the medics had come out and asked us if it would be okay to operate and remove the bullet that was about to pierce her heart, I had heard her whispering something, and it took me a few moments to realize that she had been praying. I had never thought of Farley as someone to believe in a god, but she had been praying feverishly, as if her very words would breathe life into my sister.

Now, she was silent, and she had crouched down, so that she was leaning up against a beam. She hadn't looked at any of us since they had carried Mare though the tent flaps. The only thing she had said to me was that she was sorry, that she should have found some way to fit her and Cal into the back of a truck. I wanted to believe that we could have done that, but there had been no room, and it had been Cal's idea to go back and get a cycle. My sister had unknowingly walked into her demise with him.

My heart ached, but I hadn't cried yet. I had only sat in a stunned silence in the truck with Cal next to me, his sobs diminished to soft whispers of my sister's name. He had had her ragged scarf clutched in his hands like it was her very life, and eventually he had bowed his head into his hands and pressed the cloth to his lips. Maggie had sat next to him, clutching him tightly and crying pitifully into his side. Chelsea had clung to me, but her touch wasn't as comforting as I thought it would be. For a brief second, I had let my thoughts drift to her, and the truth that I had been hiding to keep her heart intact. If I told her, it would shatter her, and telling her now would be like shoving salt into the wound that was starting to form. As soon as the thoughts had passed through my mind though, I had cursed myself for thinking about anything else but my dying sister, who was a truck ahead of us, lying on the floor, as the medics tried to resuscitate her and keep her in this world with us.

Farley, who had been driving our truck, had opened the sliding door every few seconds to give us updates on Mare's condition. Her heart had stopped three times in the time it took us to get to the Delphie base, and she had almost not come back the third time. She had lost a quart of blood within that time, and the wound was only pumping more and more blood. The medics estimated that she had already lost at the least another quarter before Cal got her to us, and now that she was losing more, they had started to panic.

My sister was dying, and my other sister was inside the tent behind me, standing over her, trying to pull out a bullet and sew her up to keep her alive. Gisa was going to try and save Mare with only a needle and thread.

Next to me, the tent flaps flew open and Gisa stepped out. Dressed in her white medical fatigues, with her hair a wild mess, she looked like a fiery angel. The moment everyone was silent, and then our mother leaped out and clutching Gisa's shoulders she demanded, "What happened? Is she going to live?"

Gisa stood silently, staring at the space over our mother's shoulder. Our mother shook her shoulders violently, screaming at her to speak. Eventually, Gisa's eyes welled up and with a choked sob, she managed, "We did what we could, b-but she slipped into a coma, and we can't wake her. Her vitals are low, and she's barely here with us… she just lost too much blood."

Our mother was silent for a moment, before she let out an anguished scream and fell to her knees. Bree gathered her into his arms and rocked her softly, his voice a gentle whisper as he buried his head in her hair and tried to soothe her and hide his sobs at the same time.

Farley finally looked up upon hearing the commotion, and for the first time since I had met her, I saw Farley cry. She was a quiet crier, the kind that could just let go of tears without a sound. Somehow, that was more heartbreaking than to see than her sobbing.

Gisa settled down next to our mother and burying herself into her arms, she relayed what the other medics had said. "We should go in and say goodbye to her. They said she probably won't make it through the night…" she trailed off, and then broke out sobbing as well and was forced to stop speaking.

Farley's voice broke through the scene softly, her expression gentle as she whispered, "Someone should go get Cal. He'll want to see her."

Gisa rose, as if to volunteer herself, only for a tiny voice to speak from the shadows. "I'll go get Cal."

We all turned to see Maggie step out from behind a pillar. Her hair was a mess, and no one had been able to corral her to try and fix it. Her eyes were bloodshot red from crying, and her nose was red and raw from wiping it repeatedly. None of that compared to the air of emptiness around her, as if she had retreated deep into herself to hide from what was going on around her. She seemed smaller without her bubbly personality, and wide smile. Grief had ripped her apart, and left pieces of a once happy-go-lucky girl behind.

Chelsea leaped out from next to me and went to console her, but Maggie pulled away from her hands and whispered, "Cal will come if I tell him to."

Torin looked up from his vantage spot on the edge of the circle and whispered, "It might be better if the three of us go."

"No," Maggie argued, and although the word was a whisper, it carried the power and understanding of someone far older than her. She straightened her shoulders stoically, and then passed through our little, broken circle. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself as she reached the other side and then began the long, lonely walk to wherever Cal had chosen to hide himself.

As she vanished around the corner, Chelsea turned her gaze onto me, and reached out to set her hand on my shoulder. I met her eye, and saw her sigh before pulling on my hand softly, asking me to follow her. I rose from my seat as she tugged, and let her lead me to a small alcove that was created by two beams meeting along a wall.

The base at Delphie where we were hiding, was built into the cliffs along the bluff of the bay. It had once been a mining plant where they dug for sandstone and limestone, but now it's veins had bled dry and there was nothing left but gravel and hard stone. The beams all throughout held up the structure, but given the age of the place, there was no telling how stable they were, so we had given strict orders to not lean on them or try to move them. The airship that we had stolen from Cancorda, which had brought my family and the more skilled medics, had been docked in a natural cave half a mile away to avoid breaking any of the structures.

According to Tramy's soft whisper, it had taken almost an hour to find someone who could pilot the thing well enough to get it down here, but eventually they found a young woman who knew the machinery and who enlisted the help of her father to fly down there. The girl's name had been Noel, and upon arriving, she had asked where Cal was, but none of us could tell her. He had been missing since they took Mare into the tent. Although Farley had left at one point to try and find him so that he could tell everyone what had happened, she had been unable to locate him. Maggie had told us instead, her ability to whisper into people's minds coming in handy as she picked at Cal's brain from a distance. He hadn't known much either, just that my sister had stepped in front of Maven's bullet to save him.

Chelsea reached out to set her hand on my arm softly and whispered, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," I lied. She didn't seem to buy even a word of it, because she bit her lip in a way that was so young and innocent that it made my stomach turn. As if sensing my thought, she stopped and took her hand off my arm. She crossed her arms across her chest as if she were hugging herself, and then murmured, "I-I don't want to hurt you anymore right now, but I-I couldn't think of a better time to say this."

I raised my eyes to meet hers, and I saw that she wasn't crying, although her voice had wavered. She tucked a stray strand of auburn hair behind her ear and whispered softly, "You've been so sweet to me. You took my inexperience in stride, but Shade… I just… I just don't feel things for you…like I should if we were serious or whatever we were."

Something in my chest released, like a rubber band snapping back to it's original shape, and I finally took a real breath of air. I hadn't been the only one then. It had started only a week after I had started to consider myself official with her. It wasn't necessarily her age, it was that I just didn't really feel the spark I had been expecting. Chelsea was definitely a beautiful girl, but it hadn't been enough. I had been searching for something else, but nothing had clicked, apparently she had realized the same thing.

I reached out, and taking one of her hands tightly in my own, I replied, "I'll let you know that it's a relief to hear that right now. I thought I was the only one."

She smiled weakly, but a single tear rolled down as she asked, "We can still be friends though, right? No hard feelings or weird ones?"  
I nodded and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around my middle and squeezed softly, as if she were trying to put all the broken pieces of me back together. This hug was different from the other ones we had shared though. It was like a comforting balm that was impossibly different from the awkward ones we had stumbled through before.

When she broke away, she wiped at her eyes and punched my shoulder gently. "You better get back, your family's going to need you."

I nodded sadly and glanced back at them, from afar they looked just as bad. Everyone huddled around each other like it was somehow going to help. My sister was alone in this, though. She alone had the decision to let go, or claw her way back. At the moment, I wasn't sure what she would choose.

 _(/ **Cal** /)_

If I thought my heart had been broken before when I had learned how easily I had been used, I was wrong. This was the ultimate agony. The ultimate punishment and torture. The weight of the guilt was too much this time. It had been my fault that this had happened. I _should_ have been paying attention, I _should_ have taken into consideration Maven's state of mind, I _should_ have at least thought to check my shoulder. I had been so caught up in the escape though, so elated to have found a cycle that worked with minimal problems that I hadn't bothered to do the simplest thing, and Mare had paid the price for my brashness.

I had found a small antechamber in the mine, and had settled for banishing myself there. They wouldn't want me around after this. Mare was dead because of me, and that was the most painful truth I had ever uttered to myself.

Clutching her bandana in my hands, I ran my thumb over the fabric over and over again, until my skin was raw, and I had memorized the feeling of the cloth. It was still stained with her blood, as was the front of my shirt and my hands. I was covered in her blood, but I had never felt farther from her. It was as if we were both floating on separate pieces of driftwood in the middle of the ocean, and she was slowly floating away from me, each swell taking her farther and farther out of my reach.

I felt the burn of tears before I noticed them in my eyes. They fell like cursed drops into my hands where they began to wash away Mare's blood. I couldn't explain to myself why I was crying now, and why I hadn't cried over my father. I figured it was because I had still been so full of pride that I hadn't dared show a sign of weakness, but this time, my pride was like a deflated balloon. Mare had been my tether to reality, and hope, and now she had been severed from me. I was floating like a balloon in the wind, unable to stop myself, and forced to watch the ground get smaller and smaller.

"It wasn't your fault Cal."

I flipped around to see Maggie standing in the entryway to the caravan. Her eyes were so empty and tired, and she looked like she had aged ten years since I had last seen her. She was wearing someone else's jacket with sleeves that feel past her hands. She looked so scared and alone, and I couldn't see why she had come to me looking for comfort. I had none to give. I didn't even have any for myself.

Seeing that I wasn't going to say anything, she stepped into the space and repeated, "It wasn't your fault."

"Just leave me alone, Maggie." I whispered and turned away from her. I felt the soft fingers of her ability on the edges of my mind, trying to probe into my mind, and flipping around again in fury as I hissed, "I said leave me alone."

She looked taken aback by my words, but a moment later her eyes lit up with fire as she spit, "Don't you dare feel guilty! Mare made a _choice_!

"You don't think I know that?" I shouted back, and immediately, I dropped my voice back to a whisper. I was talking to a little girl, not a grown adult, but sometimes I forgot that with her. She stormed over to me, her face bright red as she shouted, "When people are afraid, they always choose to protect the things they love! She chose your life over her own because she loves you and thought that you need to live more than her!"

"What if I needed her to live?" I whispered softly, as I sank down onto the rock I had been occupying for a few hours now. Maggie saw my deflation and seemed to cool as she stepped closer and whispered, "Then you need to tell her. She's alive for now, but… the medics said that she might not make it through tonight. I came to get you so that you could say goodbye, or tell her about your feelings. I'm sure Mare would like to know what you feel."

I highly doubted that. Mare wouldn't want to see me, and she would hate me for never telling her how I felt. She would curse me for waiting to tell her when she returned to whatever heaven she had come from originally. Seeing my festering wounds, Maggie took the final step toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck, her words barely a breath as she whispered in my ear, "Sometimes we must be reminded how very fragile life is, and that we will all at some point fall, and when we do, we will be tested."

"We will be tested to our very souls." I finished for her. How she knew that poem was beyond me. It was at least a few centuries old, and the only reason I even knew it, was because Julian had read it to me countless time when I was younger. The only line that had stuck with me though had been the last one. Something about being tested to my soul struck me deeply. My soul was something that I had once thought couldn't be touched, but I had been proven wrong. It could be touched, and it could be stained. It could be reborn, and restitched, and healed, but some wounds never truly went away.

I pulled the tiny girl who had become so much to me closer, and whispered into her hair, "Thank you, Maggie."

She smiled softly, and I felt a few of her tears as they began to fall into my shirt. "There's nothing to say thank you for. You two just needed a push in the right direction."

I chuckled softly, and whispered comfortingly, "You definitely gave us a push."

I just wished that I had seen it sooner and gone along with it.

(/)

It was hours later when I finally arrived at the tent where they had taken Mare. I had cleaned the blood off my hands and arms, and changed into a clean shirt, hoping to appear more put together than I actually felt. I had tucked Mare's bandana into my back pocket where it was safe. It had become a part of me, and I refused to let go of it. I feared that if I did, she would slip away with it.

Shade was sitting outside the tent when I arrived, and he watched me approach slowly. I stopped next to him, and listened to him whisper softly, "The rest of the family went to go get some sleep and some food. Gisa's in there, but she might be leaving soon."

"What are you still doing out here?" I whispered softly. He only shrugged and replied, "Waiting for you I guess."

He gave me a weak smile, and then with another shrug he rose, and patted my shoulder. "Someone has to be with her, and I couldn't ask for anyone better, but you."

I watched him leave quietly, his shoulders bowed and his head hung with the weight of his grief. He too appeared to have aged. I guessed that seeing your younger sibling go before you could make you feel that way. He turned the corner and vanished into the darkness before I could question him more, leaving me alone. I sucked in a heaving breath and reached out to push the flap aside. The fabric seemed to be holding back a tirade of heavy air, and as I pushed it aside, it raced by me to escape, stealing my breath away.

Inside, it was surprisingly warm, and I immediately noticed Gisa off to the side, cleaning her hands in a wash bowl. As soon as the tent flap closed behind me, she glanced over her shoulder and with a sad smile she whispered, "Maggie came by and said that you might want to be alone right now."

"I would appreciate it." I whispered softly, my eyes purposefully avoiding the mattress that had been set up next to me. I knew that if I looked now, I would never be able to put myself together in front of Mare's sister. She only nodded, seeing my struggle, and as she passed me, she squeezed my shoulder and whispered, "For what it's worth, I think you were one of the only people she would sacrifice like this for."

I turned away from her and closed my eyes to block out the world again. I couldn't bare to meet her eyes after her comment. I couldn't imagine the torture she had been through while she stood over her sister and tried to save her. My pain could never hold a candle to that. How Gisa Barrow was holding herself together was a mystery, but in a way she was stronger than any of us.

I didn't open my eyes until Gisa had left the tent completely. Stealing myself, and taking one more deep breath, I opened my eyes and looked down.

For some reason, I had been expecting worse. Maybe more blood, and some decay, or something to show that she was dead or dying. There was none of that. In fact, it looked like Mare was just sleeping. Her eyes were closed lightly, so that her eyes lashes were barely fluttering at her cheeks. Her skin was a pale white, and for a moment, I could believe that she was a Silver because of that. Her hands had been carefully folded over her stomach, and her shirt had been cut away at the shoulder to show the bandages that had been wrapped there to hide the wound that was taking her life.

I slowly sank down next to her, terrified to do so much as breathe on her. If I did, I felt like I might disturb her in some way, maybe even wake her up. I couldn't bare to do that though, and yet, I still reached out and threaded my fingers through one of her hands, enclosing it in my grip. I waited to feel her squeeze it, to show me a sign that she was still alive, but her hand only hung cold and limp in my own. The only heat I felt was the illusion of it, given off by my own body. I squeezed her hand even tighter, falsely hoping that I could push warmth back into her if I squeezed hard enough. She didn't do so much as stir, didn't do so much as flutter an eyelash, and my heart seemed to crack even further. I hadn't even thought it was possible to feel more pain.

I loosened my grip, but didn't let go, as I brought her hand to my lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. It was a touch I had never given her, but it stopped the pain for only a moment. Her skin was icy cold, and it made me shiver as I pressed it to my cheek. "I need you to wake up. Please wake up, Mare."

I pressed another kiss into her palm, hoping the touch would wake her, and when I didn't, I felt a hot tear slide down my cheek as I whispered once more, "I love you. I love you more than I've loved anyone before in my life. I need you, Mare. I need you like I need air to breathe. Come back to me, don't leave me."

When she didn't move again, I leaned over her and pressed a soft kiss between her eyes. I could feel the shallow puffs of breath that left her mouth, as they brushed against my throat. I bit my lip and rested my forehead against her own, desperate to be close to her. I felt a few drops of water race down and land with a plop on her eyelids. I let go of her hand and clutching both sides of her face, I whispered softly, "Please, stay with me. I love you, and I need to tell you with you looking at me. I need to see your eyes one last time, please."

She didn't so much as breathe.

 _(/ **Mare** /)_

It was like swimming out of a deep pool. My arms and legs were exhausted, and my lungs burned with a need for oxygen. For a while, I had given up, and had started to float away into the darkness. It had felt so much better to just give up, to just let go and float away into oblivion. There was no more pain, no more guilt, no more icy blue eyes watching my every thought, no more fiery irises begging me to stay.

I had tried to scream at him, had tried to beg him to understand that I was so tired of fighting, and that I just wanted to sleep. But I hadn't been able to form the words. As I had opened my mouth, the water had seemed to rush in, and I began to panic, as I realized that I _did not_ want this. I _did not_ want to die. _I wasn't ready._ I still had to tell Cal- what was I supposed to tell him? The longer that I floated in the darkness, the more I realized that parts of me were slipping away.

As I had slipped away, I had felt something grab me and pull back. A tiny light that had flowed into my chest and expelled the exhaustion. A soft voice had started whispering for me to wake up. A tiny hand had started to pull on mine, the voice demanding, _wake up! You have to wake up Mare! Cal needs you! We all need you!_

Filled with a new vigor, I had started to push myself toward the surface, and the closer I got, the more I heard. The more I felt. I could feel the fire burning in my shoulder. I could feel the grip of someone's hand as they begged me to come back. I heard my mother's cries, and my brother Shade's soft goodbye, as he pressed a soft kiss to my cheek and whispered that he was sorry that he broke something of mine when I was six. I wanted to slap him for that, but I knew it was his way of dealing with this. I wanted to shout at them that I wasn't dead, that I was coming back, that I was almost there, that I just needed one more pull to the surface.

Then, they had all left, and I had started to sink again. I had battled back, but the water was started to drag me down again. The current was too strong, and I was so very tired. Just as I was about to give up and float down again, I had felt another warm hand take my own.

Cal's voice had been muffled, but I had heard every word. I had felt every touch, and as he pressed a light kiss between my eyes, I had breathed my first breath of real life again. He'd pulled me to the surface, and I heard his soft words, whispered like a love song.

 _Stay with me. I love you._

I broke the surface of the water, and gasped for air. My eyes fluttering open to darkness. For a moment, I thought that I hadn't actually come back, that I had gone the wrong way and left them all behind. My eyes snapped back and forth in panic until I felt a soft pressure on my hand. I took another breath that felt like inhaling knives, but I took it anyway. I squeezed whatever was holding my hand softly, and was rewarded with a soft sigh near my head. I tried to tilt my head to the right to see who was there, but my shoulder instantly protested and I let out a gasp of pain. The mattress shifted suddenly, making every part of my body ache, and I heard someone whisper my name.

A light flicked on near my head and I squinted my eyes shut at the brightness. Note to self, don't turn on lights right after you come back from dying.

"Mare?" The voice whispered again, and I turned my head finally to meet Cal's eye. He looked like a ghost in the pale light, and I blinked at him for a moment. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked absolutely terrible. The edges around him were blurry, and I couldn't real discern his features completely, but there was not a doubt in my mind that it was him. I would know those golden eyes anywhere.

"Hey," I croaked, my voice straining as I tried to speak with him. He looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then with a soft sob he whispered, "This is a dream, isn't it?"

"Then you and I are having the same very nice dream." I replied sarcastically, as I squeezed his hand again. He let out a light laugh and then whispered, "You're alive, you really are."

He collected my hand between his own, and then his eyes widened in worry, as he whispered, "Did you hear what I-"

"Yes, I did." I whispered softly, and he looked down at me softly, expectantly almost. I swallowed tightly, and without a hint of hesitation, I whispered gently, "I love you too."

His eyes widened in shock, and before I could say another word, he bent down and pressed a kiss to my lips. My eyes opened wide in surprise, only to close, as I pressed my lips against his own, inhaling the air he breathed out. It was like breathing in life, and each one I took, I felt myself coming back more and more. He cupped the back of my neck and lifted me ever so slightly off the bed, but the minute he did, I let out a cry of pain at the fire that shot down my shoulder.

He let go immediately and whispered fearfully, "Oh Mare, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Well, I was just shot," I grumbled before, smiling weakly and whispering, "But I could forget about that right now." I reached up and went to pull him down. He hesitated and with a light smile he whispered, "Fine, one more kiss, then I'm getting your sister."

"Define one more," I murmured, as I pulled him down slowly, "Because you owe me quite a few."  
" _I_ owe _you?_ I think _you_ owe _me_ some kisses for putting me through this. Don't ever save my life without my permission ever again."

I laughed softly, and then touching my forehead with his own, I teased, "Never, we do everything together from now on."

"Together." He agreed before pressing a warm kiss to my lips once more. It was like fire meeting ice, and I realized, that as long as Cal as there, then I was safe and home.

 _A/N_

 _HELL YEAH! Last chapter before the epilogue! Oh my god, we're almost done. We are literally a few feet away from the finish line. (: Who's happy for Mare and Cal, I know I am, I know my beta is. LOL. Did you all like the Shade POV? WE HAVEN'T HAD ONE OF THOSE IN FOREVER! Sorry to anyone who was a big ChelseaxShade fan, I kind of let their relationship die, BUT with good reason, I promise. Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone who has stuck around through the whole story and reviewed, namely, Macartyjr2, Entr0py, and TraitorPrince on Tumblr. You guys are amazing. As we approach the final chapter (AKA Epilogue) we will also be getting one step closer to the title, summary, and cover of the next book. L **ike Victoria did, I will give you all a hint, here is the acronym for the book title: SatS. (:**_

 _See you all in the Epilogue!_

 _Question time:_

 ** _What did you think of Mare and Cal's love confession? (:_**

 _OR_

 ** _What do you think the title for the next book is?_**


	17. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _(/_ _ **Cal/)**_

"Mom, I can brush my own hair!" Mare argued, as she tried to pull away from her mother, who was feverishly trying to brush her hair. Her mom grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back, though, replying, "Enough of this, Gisa said you need to sit still and stop moving or else you'll tear the stitches."

"I can brush my hair with my other arm!" Mare cried in frustration, but her mother silenced her by pulling on an exceptionally bad knot. I snickered from my position on the other side of the room, where I was with Torin and Maggie, who were trying to play cards. It wasn't really working, considering the fact that Maggie didn't know what cards she had, and she couldn't see into my mind to see what she did have without cheating. Apparently it was against her moral code, at least, from what she had told us. So, she would hold it out to Mare, and I would see it, and then pretend that I hadn't.

"Do you have any twos?" Maggie asked as she dropped one of her cards on the table. Torin sighed in annoyance and replied, "For the last time Maggie, we aren't playing Go Fish."

"Fine, then I'll go fish on my own." She reached for the stack of cards and pulling one, put it in her hand. By now, she had a hand of seventeen cards and it was funny to see her try and hold onto all of them.

Gisa poked her head inside the tent, and as she carried in clean bandages, she glared at Mare. Apparently she had heard her mother outside, because she immediately admonished her older sister. "If you want to get better and get out of here quicker, you need to stop fighting, and do as you're told. Cal did come and tell me earlier today, that you tried to get out of bed."

Mare turned her furious eyes on me and mouthed, _traitor._ I smiled and gave her a wink before leaning back in my chair and asking Maggie, "Alright Maggie, do you have any sixes?"

Maggie leaped up from her chair in excitement, and almost tripped running over to Mare. She showed her cards and asked, "Are there any sixes?"

Mare sighed, but before she could reach up and grab the cards, her mom slapped her hand down and pulled them out of Maggie's hands and said, "You have two, darling."

Maggie bounced back to the table and shouted, "Now, I can go fish!"

"That's not even how Go Fish works!" Torin shouted, and Maggie stuck her tongue out at him in response. "I have two sixes, so I get to get two cards."

"No, that's not how it works! You have to give him your cards cause he asked."

"No! I get to go fish!"

"No, you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"Enough," I groaned, as I pushed the deck of cards toward Maggie, "She gets to go fish."

Maggie cheered and sticking her tongue out at Torin, again, she grabbed the last two cards in the deck. Throwing her cards in the air, she cheered, "I won!"

As the card rained down in a storm, Torin threw his cards down onto the table and grumbled, "Well, you always win when Cal plays with us."

The tent flaps opened again and I looked over to see Shade step in. Dressed in fatigues, he looked like he had finally gotten a good night of sleep. He looked around at the mess of cards on the floor, then at his sister, who looked like a cat getting a bath, and he raised his brow at the spectacle before turning to look at me. "Farley says she's demanding to speak with someone."

I sighed as I set my cards down, and went to get up. Torin took one look at them and then cried in disbelief, "Are you serious, you were bluffing the whole time?"

I gave him a wink and a smile, and rose from my chair completely. Torin narrowed his eyes in response and grumbled something under his breath. Mare watched as I passed, and before her mom could stop her, she reached out for my hand and gripped my wrist tightly. I glanced down at her in surprise, and ignored her mom, who let out a cry of fury at her daughter's inability to follow orders.

Mare gave me a sad smile and stroking the skin inside of my arm with her thumb, she whispered, "Try to be lenient with her."

"I'll try, but there isn't much I will be able to do." I replied softly, before bending down and pressing a soft kiss to her hairline. I had to touch her at least once every few minutes, just to make sure she was really there. She didn't seem to mind either. She responded warmly to every caress, kiss, and touch. It only made me more confident in my relationship with her. She wanted this as much as I did, and that was all that mattered.

I pulled away from her and whispered, "I'll be back later, and I'll tell you everything."

She nodded and dropped her arm. Her expression instantly changed, though, as her mother pulled on her hair with the brush and yanked it back into a braid. Mare let out cry of fury, and I winced before backing out of the tent with Shade.

Outside, there was a bustle of activity, as members of the Guard prepared for us to move out. Farley had given the order, that as soon as Mare was healthy enough, we would be heading back to the main base up in the mountains. We had sent out a message only hours after Mare's awakening, claiming responsibility for the Delphie siege, which had instantly painted us with deadly targets and made it imperative that we got back to our safer base. We had then asked for the Reds to stay tuned for another broadcast that would give out all the New Bloods' names, so that they could find their families. Only a few of them had decided to really stay with the Guard. The rest had determined that they wanted no part in a war that was very much their own. The only ones to stay were a woman named Isabella, who had a young baby boy named Gabriel, and a teenaged boy named Oscar, who we had discovered was a nymph. He was only a few months older than Torin, who was desperately excited to have another boy in the group that he could actually talk to.

As we passed a group of soldiers, I glanced at Shade out of the corner of my eye and inquired, "How's Chelsea?"

"She's good, she's been hanging around with Maribel a lot lately. Something about wanting to check out new things." Shade replied carefully. It had become common knowledge only yesterday that Shade and Chelsea had broken off whatever engagement they had. Of course neither of them appeared to have any hard feelings over the matter, but something told me that Shade knew more about what happened than he was letting on. I decided not to pry though, Chelsea was old enough to look after herself, and Shade was more than mature enough to handle a breakup.

"So, you and my sister. You two are official now?" Shade asked innocently, as he tucked his hands into his pockets. I stiffened in response and replied cooly, "You already gave me a speech, you can't give it again."

"As I recall, I gave you the annotated version. Now, that you are officially with my sister, you need to get the real thing, complete with all the Barrow brothers, and their leader Daniel Barrow."

I rolled my eyes at his comment, and then turned the corner quickly to avoid a mass of people that were carrying what looked to be crates of metal. Shade watched them go, too, and then narrowing his eyes he muttered, "Hector better not be up to something."

I watched their backs as they continued to walk away, then shrugged and replied, "If he is, Farley will deal with it."

We continued along, and started to take the stairs down to the makeshift cell we had created. As we descended, Shade commented dryly behind me, "I'm serious about that meeting by the way. I'm thinking we should have it over a candlelit dinner, with you, me, my brothers, and my dad sharing a nice glass of wine while we discuss what you can and cannot do with my sister."

"Mare can tell me that, I don't need you four to do it." I replied with a huff, as we reached the bottom of the steps. One of the men standing guard perked up upon seeing us and saluted. He dipped his head politely and greeted us, "General Calore, Commander Barrow."

Shade pointed his finger at me, ignoring the man before us. "I don't care, you two are going to be so caught up in the lovey dovey stuff that you're not going to be thinking clearly."

I coughed and gestured with my eyes for him to look at the young man who was looking between us with a confused expression. Shade waved him away and mumbled, "Whatever, you get away from it this time, but you won't always be able to."

I rolled my eyes and turning back to the young man, I ordered, "Stay on watch out here, we'll go in and let you know if we need any assitance."

He nodded and then dipping his head in respect he replied, "Sure. Congratulations on your relationship with Mare Barrow, too, sir."

I winced at the response, and brushing past him to hide my blush, I grumbled, "Does everyone know about that?"

"I think the proper question is who wasn't _gambling_ on it." Shade replied with a laugh, as he followed me. He seemed to relish in my embarrassment, and I glared at him in response. He stifled his laughter to a snicker, and waved for me to open the door that led into the small room.

Behind the heavy metal door was a closet like room that was filled with empty supply crates. I sighed at the material of the door and tried not to grumbled about the stupidity of it. There was almost no room to stand in there, and for that reason, Evangeline was sitting on one of the crates, her arms crossed and her expression furious.

When she saw me enter the room, her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she growled, "Well, I guess talking to you is better than no one."

"Cool your jets, blondie." Shade teased, behind me as he closed the door and leaned against it. Evangeline seemed to inflate in fury at the nickname and with a sneer she spit, "That's, _Your Highness_ , to you, you filthy-"

"Evangeline," I interrupted as I pulled one of the crates toward her and sank down onto it. She turned to look at me and her eyes glanced me over carefully before she allowed herself to whisper, "You look different."

"Well, I haven't exactly shaved in a few days." I replied with a smile before resting my forearms on my knees and leaning toward her. She looked different too. Evangeline had always had a hard face, but her features seemed softer now, as if she was just as broken as I was. Her hair hung in dirty tendrils around her face, and she kept pulling it out of her eyes. Underneath her eyes she had dark circles that seemed to make her cheekbones look sharper.

"You look different too." I volunteered as I sat up straighter again and crossed my arms across my chest comfortably. She mirrored my motion and then spit, "What does it matter, you're going to kill me anyway, aren't you?"

"I don't want to, if that's what you mean," I replied carefully, and she seemed taken aback once more. "I don't want you to die Evangeline, contrary to what you believe, I do care about you."

She snorted in a very unlady like way and hissed, "Oh please, spare me the pleasantries. You don't care about any of us. That's why you killed your father and helped these _terrorist_ invade the capital."

"Oy, terrorists is a strong word to be throwing around before breakfast." Shade growled from the other side of the room. I glared at him, warning him to keep his mouth shut, before turning back to Evangeline and whispering, "I know that's what it looked like, but I'm about to tell you something, and you can choose whether or not you want to believe it."

She looked doubtful at my words, but Evangeline had always been sensible, and she would always hear out every side of the argument before passing justice. It was one of the few things I had actually liked about her.

Sighing, I began, "None of it was true," she opened her mouth to argue, and I silenced her with a glare, "Yes, I did kill my father, but Elara made me do that. Maven was the one that worked with the Guard, and he did it so that he could lead them in and get them all killed."

Her eyes widened in surprise and she whispered breathlessly, "You're lying."

"I wish I was. I wish I was lying to you. But Elara and Maven are the liars, and Mare and I were just the unfortunate scapegoats of the whole thing."

"But you fought with her, she tried to kill me!" Evangeline argued, as she narrowed her eyes. She was starting to get it, starting to put the pieces together, and the picture they were forming was not one that she liked.

"Yes, but you did try to kill her first. I fought with Mare because I had no other choice, and I-I loved her." I whispered softly. She blinked in stupidity for a moment and then muttered, " A _Red_ girl?"

"She's not just any Red girl, Evangeline. And you know it. She's different. She's powerful enough to take down even the strongest of us. She was born to end this regime, to take Maven off the throne and save the Reds." I supplied carefully, the weight of what Mare had to do finally falling on my thoughts. Evangeline sat back in shock and seemed to digest my words for a moment before whispering, her voice slightly pained, "I believe you."

I glanced at her in surprise and she said a little louder, "I believe you, Cal." She smiled at me bitterly and then whispered, "I should have trusted you from the very beginning. I was… just in so much shock. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the tapes, but a part of me, a part of me did believe that it was a lie."

I smiled at her lightly and whispered, "I'm glad you believe it, but we have a bit of a problem. The Guard wants you dead. They want to execute you on a live broadcast, to show the whole country that we mean what we say."

She stumbled to her feet and cried out in terror, "No! You wouldn't let them, don't let them, Cal!"

I leaped to my feet and grabbed her arms, holding her in my grip I whispered reassuringly, "I can try, but Evangeline, I can't save your skin unless you help me do it."

"Anything, I'll do anything!" She cried. Tears were starting to leak down her cheeks and she grabbed my wrists tightly as she begged me, "Please, I don't want to die."

"You might not like this, but you need to swear an oath to the Guard. I can only save you if you become a part of the Guard." I whispered softly, as I helped her sit down again. Shade pushed off of the door and argued, "And you have to be completely loyal, no exceptions!"  
She glared at him, and then with narrowed eyes she whispered around her tears, "I remember you, you were the soldier, who we caught. I-"

"Tortured me? Yeah, you did, and it hurt a lot." Shade hissed as he began to advance on her. I stepped between the two of them, and putting my hand on Shade's shoulder, I murmured, "Calm down, we need her to do this."

He sneered and replied at the same volume, "That doesn't mean I have to like it."

He backed away again and slowly went back to his original spot. His eyes were narrowed, and his arms were crossed in irritation though, showing exactly what he thought of my idea. It had taken some convincing for everyone to go along with it, but Farley had trusted my word. Evangeline would swear an oath, as long as it saved her own skin for the time being. During that time, we could slip more current information out of her.

I waited until Shade had cooled down enough, and turned back to Evangeline, who looked to be seriously considering her options, just like I predicted she would. She ran a tired hand through her hair and whispered, "And you promise that if I do this, they won't kill me?"

"Yes."

She swallowed, and straightening her back, she looked me in the eye and stated, "I pledge my oath." She seemed to deflate afterward, and her head fell into her hands. I reached out to set my hand on her shoulder, and pulled back at the last second. She had just betrayed everyone she had ever known; it was not an easy thing to do. I backed away from her slowly, and turned to leave with Shade. He disappeared down the hallway, but I hesitated at the door. A thought had been pecking at my mind ever since she had come here, and now was my chance to ask about it. I glanced back at her and inquired softly, "Evangeline, is there an heir?"

Her head snapped up, and for the first time in her life, Evangeline looked defeated. Tears pooled in her palms, and she choked, "No, and there never will be."  
I raised my brow in confusion, and she looked away in humiliation, as she whispered, "I'm barren. I can never bear children, and I would have never been able to bear you children, either."

My heart ached for her, and the words slipped by before I could stop them, "I'm sorry."

She looked up with a bitter glint in her eye and whispered, "So am I."

 _(/ **The Silver Court: Archeon** /)_

Maven stood before the wide window that normally looked out at the crashing sea. All he could see, though, was the pounding snow that fell in huge drifts. Soon, it would descend on the lower parts of Norta and flood the streets, forcing the Reds indoors.

In his hand, he turned the pendant that had been on his mother's dress. It was all that he had left of her, besides the memories. They had locked her rooms earlier, and buried her body in the Merandus tomb only hours before that. It had taken all of his will power to keep himself together, no use showing the entire country how broken he was inside. He had lost his mother, and without a doubt, Mare Barrow as well. She was most likely dead by now. It had been his fault too. He should have known that she would step in front of his brother though.

He clutched the pendant so tightly in his fist that the edges cut into his skin and drew blood. Gritting his teeth, Maven glared out at the snow and spit, "I'll find you for this, Cal, and I'll make you pay."

The doors behind him opened suddenly, and he looked over his shoulder to see Samson Merandus enter the room. He was dressed in the customary mourning clothes, but his eyes were free of grief. He took in his nephew by the window and dropped into a deep bow. "Your Highness, I hope now is not a bad time."

Tucking his bleeding hand behind his back and turning to face Samson, Maven replied stiffly, "No, but I expected you to with your family, mourning."

"My family is also in this room. Who better to mourn with than my nephew?" Samson replied slyly as he crossed the room to stand next to Maven. The two of them turned to look out at the blinding whiteness outside. Samson tilted his head to the side as if he were considering something and then whispered, "If I may be so bold, Your Highness, may I ask what happened at Delphie?"

Maven grimaced and after a few seconds of deliberation, decided to tell Samson the truth. "I sent most of the guards with the serum my mother told you about. The rest stayed behind with us to help remove all traces of what we were doing. The Guard arrived earlier than we expected, and in greater numbers. They took Evangeline captive, then fell back to a hangar to take the New Bloods."

"I see, and Tiberias escaped once more?"

"Unfortunately." Maven sneered, as he gripped the pendant tightly, once more.

Silence descended upon them again, until Samson whispered, "My sister would not have died so easily, unless something was keeping her from fighting. Perhaps, there is a New Blood that is stronger than her?"

"There is," Maven growled carefully, his eyes falling to the pendant in his hand which was now coated with his blood, after being soaked in his mother's, "A young girl, she is a whisperer."

"Interesting," Samson commented once more before turning to Maven and inquiring boldly, "The plan my sister started, it is still in motion, yes?"

Maven grinned to himself. If there was one thing that would get back at his brother, it was the final stages of his mother's plan, he just had to get there first. When he did though, he would have his bastard brother, and finally take his revenge. "Yes, it is."

"Good, if I may be so bold once more, I would like to offer my services. I think that you and I could do great things together." Samson volunteered, his blue eyes sparkling dangerously, as he looked Maven up and down. If he noticed the assessment, Maven didn't comment on it. He only closed his hands around his mother's pendant once more, and whispered, "As do I."

 _ **End Book 1**_

 _A/N_

 _Welp that's all she wrote folks. (: The end of Red as the Dawn. Holy Moley, this is so insane! I can't believe that I finished this in only half a year. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope to see you all around on Christmas morning when I post the new book._

 _Because this project has literally drained me of all my creative juice, I will be taking a short break to plan and rest up for the next one. But rest assured, the new story will be started before the end of January._

 ** _(: Merry Christmas, and happy holidays to everyone!_**

 _Question Time!_

 ** _What do you think of Evangeline's decision to join the Guard, and what do you think will happen with her? (I'll let you know that she's big character in the next story. We might also get some POV's from her)_**


End file.
